Sari and Transformers Prime
by FictionFan1024
Summary: While battling Decepticons, Sari is thrown into a malfunctioning space bridge orb and gets sucked into a trans-dimensional vortex. She gets grabbed by Ratchet's ground bridge experiments and lands on the floor of Autobot Outpost Omega One. Her team in "Transformers Animated" have to find out what happened to her, and Team Prime have to find a way to send her back.
1. Chapter 1

**NOTE: This Transformers Animated / Transformers Prime crossover begins several years after the end of Season 3 of "Transformers Animated". Sari is now a Cyber-Ninja Gakusei (student), and Jazz is her Sensei (teacher). For further background reading, please refer to my other FanFiction stories:**

**1. Sari Beyond Endgame - takes place immediately following Season 3  
2. ****Sari Sumdac, Technorganic Recruit - Sari is now a Cybertronian citizen, and a member of Optimus Prime's team  
3. ****Sari Sumdac, Cyber-Ninja - takes her to the beginnings of adulthood, where she acquires her final, full set of mods, and develops into one of Cybertron's most powerful Cyber-Ninjas  
4. Sari Sumdac, Cyber-Nijna II - Sari enlists in Autobot Boot Camp, and later on attends the Autobot Academy (work in progress)  
**

**Hope you enjoy this crossover! And many thanks to LuisJM, who came up with this crossover idea. He's written many terrific stories in FanFiction, and I've had the honor of collaborating with him on a couple of TFP ones; his stories have helped me develop my understanding of the TFP characters.**

**Please leave reviews! I look forward to your ideas and suggestions about this story.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own "Transformers Animated" or "Transformers Prime".**

* * *

**Sari, Optimus and Jazz are defending a new space bridge which has been built on Mars. Farside Beacon One, the long-distance monitoring station on the moon, had sent out an alert that a Decepticon ship had passed Jupiter and was on its way toward the red planet.**

**Aboard the Autobot ship Ark-32 are Optimus Prime, Jazz, Arcee and Sari.**

* * *

Chapter 1: Sari Disappears!

Optimus landed the Ark-32 on the Martian landscape close by the newly-installed space bridge. "Decepticon ship ETA one megacycle," said Arcee.

"Sari, you and I will head over to the space bridge. Jazz, control the offensive weaponry. Arcee, continue monitoring the Decepticon ship. Send us regular updates," said Optimus.

Optimus donned his flight wings, and he and Sari left the ship and went over to defend the Autobots' Martian territory.

"Why are they attacking this space bridge?" asked Sari.

"It's the next step in our colonization of this planet," explained Optimus. "They want to do everything they can to halt our progress."

"Optimus! Decepticon ship inbound!" said Arcee.

"Alright Autobots, get ready!" And Optimus and his crew prepared for the attack.

The enemy ship came within sight. Jazz fired the laser emitters. Sari powered up the plasma thrusters on her pedes, and she and Optimus took flight to begin fighting the ship from the air.

"Optimus! Sari! Beware!" Said Arcee. "I'm detecting a new type of weapon on the Decepticon ship. Halonian in design – it must have been acquired from Swindle. If it hits you it can send you into the shadow zone!"

"Acknowledged, Arcee," said Optimus. "Sari, take extreme precaution. Evasive maneuvers."

"Yes, sir."

Suddenly, one of the Decepticon's particle emitters hit Optimus' right wing, and spiraling down, he crashed onto the Martian surface.

"Optimus!" yelled Sari.

"I'm alright, Sari!" said Optimus. "Defend the space bridge!" And Sari dove down towards the bridge.

She stood her ground before the bridge, her palms glowing, firing her servos at the Decepticon ship.

"Sari! They're powering up the Halonian weapon!" yelled Arcee. And a bright yellow beam came straight at Sari. She managed to dodge the beam just in time, but it struck the space bridge controls. This caused the bridge to start up, but instead of forming a blue orb, a blue-yellow orb started developing between the twin tines. Sari paid no heed, and continued firing her blue-white orbs at the Decepticon ship. Optimus threw off his flight wings and ran towards Sari to assist.

The Decepticons then shot a particle beam at the ground in front of her, which exploded the surface, throwing her up and back, and knocking her out. "Sari!" yelled Optimus. The force of the blast cast her into the blue-yellow orb, which, as soon as she flew into it, suddenly collapsed around her, and she disappeared.

"Jazz! Arcee! Sari's disappeared into the space bridge!" yelled Optimus.

* * *

Ratchet was working on the ground bridge, installing some upgrades. He was performing a few experiments, which should give Team Prime enhanced transportation abilities.

Raf, curious, stopped on by. "Hey Ratchet, what are you doing?"

"Oh, hello, Rafael. I've got some ideas for improving the ground bridge. I think I can enhance its capabilities, perhaps even make it possible for us to turn this into a space bridge."

"Really? That would be awesome! Can I help?"

"Well, I'm not sure. These changes will increase the power, but I must make sure I include dampeners, or it could lead to uncontrolled consequences. What types of things can you do on your laptop there?"

Raf opened up his laptop. "Let me hook it up." And he connected his port into Ratchet's systems.

The two worked together. "I see what you're doing here, Ratchet," said Raf. "But be careful of this algorithm; even a slight change can…"

"Yip, yip yip…" I know what I'm doing, young man."

Raf sighed. "OK."

Finally, Ratchet stepped away from the console. "I think that's it! Let's give it a try."

"Are you sure? Maybe we should look through the code again."

"I'm pretty confident. Yes, yes, this will work," said the old bot, and fired up the bridge. He folded his arms to watch the results in the tunnel, as it hummed to life. Raf's face grimaced, and registered a bit of concern.

The tunnel came to life, with strange shimmering rings of bright green, blue and yellow. Sparks began emitting from the controls. Ratchet turned back to the console. "What in the name of Primus is going on?!"

Raf turned to his laptop. "The ground bridge is sending a signal out into space! It's pulling something down!"

Ratchet dove under the console to try to power the bridge down. Suddenly, the tunnel started belching blue smoke, followed by a bright flash and an explosion. Ratchet and Raf covered their faces. He was finally able to power the bridge down, and as the smoke cleared, the two noticed a small figure lying on the floor below, surrounded by some red rocks.

"Uh, Ratchet? Who, or what, is that?" asked Raf.

"Stand back, Raphael!" said Ratchet, and walked towards the little body on the floor. It looked like a human-sized robot figure, with yellow and cream-colored armor, and triangular-shaped appendages on its helmet. It was unconscious.

By this time, the rest of Autobot base members came running in. "What was that explosion?" said Optimus.

"I was working on some experiments to the ground bridge," said Ratchet. "Things got a little out of control, but everything's OK now."

"Everything's OK, huh? Then, who's that on the floor?" asked Miko. All eyes and optics turned to look at the floor near the tunnel.

June walked over to the unknown human-sized figure. "It looks like someone in a robot suit." She reached down and felt around the neck. "I'm trying to see if there's a pulse, but this suit is in the way." She looked around for a zipper or some other latch to see whether it could be removed. Looking up to the group, she said "I can't find a way to take this robot suit off – assuming this is a suit." June then tried lifting the body up. "Ooof! This thing weighs a ton!" She managed to turn it over on its back. "Ratchet, I don't think it's human."

By now, everyone was standing around this strange, prone figure.

"Hey! Is that an Autobot insignia on its chest?" said Smokescreen.

"An Autobot?" said Bulkhead, scratching his helm.

"Do they make them that small?" asked Jack.

"Not to my knowledge, Jack," said Ratchet. He picked the body up. "But, let me take...uh, her," looking at the skirt, "to the infirmary," and he carried the unconscious bot down the hall.

"Where do you suppose she came from?" asked Arcee.

"Let me see if I can pull any logs from my laptop," said Raf.

"Please begin immediately, Rafael," said Optimus. "And as soon as Ratchet completes his examination of this strange bot, I want the two of you to run a full diagnostic on the ground bridge. We need to find out how she, and these red rocks, wound up in our base. We must make sure this is not the work of the Decepticons, or MECH."

"Arcee, when she comes to, I want you to talk to her. Find out where she is from."

"Yes, sir," said Arcee.

* * *

"Hey everybody! She's coming to!" said Miko, yelling out the doorway. Miko then ran back to the sick bay bed and sat beside the patient.

"Unnh," Sari began to awake. She opened her optics, and the first thing she saw was Miko looking at her. "Hiya!" the girl waved.

"Where am I?" Sari asked, rubbing her helm.

"You're in Autobot Outpost Omega One," said the Japanese teen. "I'm Miko."

"Hi, uh, Miko," said Sari. "What did you say…Autobot Outpost Omega One?"

"Yep! What's your name?"

"Sari," she said weakly.

"Sari? Like the dress? That's a cool name!"

Ratchet and Arcee came in to the infirmary. "OK, thank you, Miko," said Ratchet. "Well, glad to see you awake, little bot. You caused quite a stir around here when you appeared on our floor."

"Her name is Sari, like the dress" said Miko.

"Well, Sari, you are low on energon. Here, please take a drink." And helping her up, Ratchet offered her some.

"Thank you," and she took the energon. "Miko said this place is Autobot Outpost Omega One. What planet is this?"

"This is Earth," replied Ratchet.

"Earth? I don't know of such a location on Earth," said Sari.

"You're familiar with Earth?" asked Arcee.

"Yes, I'm from Detroit."

"Detroit? I was not aware we had any Autobots in Detroit. How many of you are there?" questioned Arcee.

"Well, at Autobot Central, there's Optimus, Ratchet…"

"What?!" said Arcee and Ratchet in unison.

"Did you say, 'Optimus'? And 'Ratchet'?" replied Arcee.

"Yes. Optimus Prime. He's my commanding officer."

Arcee and Ratchet looked at each other. Miko whistled. "Man, this bot's either nuts, or from another dimension!" And she started humming the "Twilight Zone" theme.

"I'm sorry, but what is it that I said that's so strange?" asked Sari.

"Well, for starters, I'm Ratchet, and I've never met you," he replied.

"You're Ratchet?!" Said Sari, looking confused. "But, you don't look like him at all."

"And Optimus is our Prime, and he saw you before Ratchet carried you here to the infirmary. He did not recognize you." Said Arcee.

"Wait. You have an Optimus Prime?"

"That's right. He's here at our base. And this is our Ratchet. But your Optimus, and your Ratchet, are in Detroit?" questioned Arcee.

"Yes, along with Arcee and Bulkhead."

The two-wheeler was taken aback. She leaned forward and pointed toward herself. "Uh, Sari, I'm Arcee."

Shocked, Sari put her face in her servos. "This is insane!" she said. "I feel like I've landed in an alternate dimension!"

"Told ya!" said Miko, and hummed the "Twilight Zone" theme again.

Sari put her servos down and looked at the three. "Let me guess: you have a Bulkhead as well?"

"Yes," said Ratchet, curiously.

"Hey, do you have a Miko?" asked the Japanese girl.

"Uh, no, sorry, no Miko," replied Sari.

"Darn!"

Ratchet racked his processor, trying to piece this mystery together. "Alright. Let's start from the beginning, Sari. Before you landed on the floor of our base, where were you?"

Sari sighed, and sat back. "Optimus, Jazz, Arcee and I were defending a new space bridge on Mars," she explained. "We were fighting the Decepticons, who were trying to destroy it. Suddenly, a yellow ray hit the bridge controls, which somehow activated it. Right after that, a particle beam struck the ground near where I was standing, knocking me out and throwing me into the vortex."

"The next thing I remember, I was waking up here, with Miko looking at me."

Ratchet rubbed his chin. "Mars? Well, that would explain the red rocks. Let me go get Raphael," and he left to get the young computer wiz.

Sari looked up at Arcee. "So, you're Arcee?"

"That's right. I am a Ninja scout."

"Pleased to meet you, Arcee. I am a Cyber-Ninja Gakusei. My Sensei is Jazz. I am very close to finishing my training and becoming a full Cyber-Ninja."

"Well that's excellent! I do have a question, Sari: Do they have many Autobots in your world that are your size?"

"Not normally, no. I am a Technorganic."

"Technorganic?" Arcee looked confused. "I've never heard of them. Are Technorganics human-sized?"

"Yes. Technorganics are half Autobot, half organic. My organic side is human. Here, let me show you." And with a flash of blue, Sari transformed into "human" mode.

"Whoa!" shouted Miko. "You're human now? Neat!" She then leaned closer to look at her face. "Wow! You've got the coolest blue eyes I've ever seen!"

"Actually, they used to be brown, until my upgrade, and...well, that's a long story," said Sari.

Just then, Ratchet walked in with Raf. "Hey! Where did Sari go? And who is this?"

"Ratchet, this is Sari," said Arcee. "She's a Technorganic."

"That's impossible!" replied Ratchet. "There's no such thing as Technorganics! They're mythological creatures!"

"Boy, you're about as grumpy as MY Ratchet," said Sari, which made Miko snicker.

"Here, Ratchet, check my chest," said Sari. "I think you'll find I still have my Spark chamber."

Ratchet took out his portable sensor and placed it over her chest and looked at the readout. "By the AllSpark!" he declared.

"And if you scan my head, you'll find I have a processor instead of a brain. But if THAT doesn't convince you…" and with a blue flash, she transformed back into "bot" mode. "Maybe THIS will."

Ratchet was dumbfounded, and stepped back. "A Technorganic…? But, how?"

"In my world, we have Technorganics," said Sari.

"What do you mean, 'in your world'?" asked Ratchet.

"I'm pretty sure now, Ratchet, that I came here from an alternate dimension somehow. I mean, I have an Optimus Prime; you have an Optimus Prime. You have an Arcee; I have an Arcee. You have an Autobot base called Autobot Outpost Omega One; in my dimension, we have an Autobot base called Autobot Central."

"But, how did you manage to come into our dimension?" asked Ratchet.

"I think I might be able to explain," said Raf. "I've been looking at the logs. When the ground bridge turned on, it shot up into the sky. Then, it went and grabbed an anomaly of some kind. That anomaly was likely the space bridge transport of Sari here. As a result, it grabbed that transport and brought her into our base."

"But, will it be able to send her back?" asked Ratchet.

"I don't know. I'll need to examine the logs very carefully and go back into the ground bridge systems," he replied.

"So, what you're saying, Raphael, is there's a chance I might be stuck in this dimension permanently?" asked Sari, concerned.

"Maybe yes, maybe no, Sari. Let me see what Ratchet and I can figure out."

She sighed. "Well, at least, I got yanked into an Autobot base, and not a Decepticon base."

"Or a MECH base," said Ratchet.

"Who?" asked Sari.

**So, that's the first chapter of this crossover. What do you think? Sari's going to meet Team Prime, and their Optimus. Back in her dimension, they're going to have to figure out what happened to her. Will their space bridge's logs provide any clues? Back in the "Transformers Prime" universe, will Raf and Ratchet be able to find a way to send her back?**

**Until then, Sari has many mods, skills and talents to contribute to Team Prime - she can be a valuable member! But also a very valuable catch should she fall into the clutches of the Decepticons, or MECH!**

**Lots of possibilities for this story! I wanted it to be at least in TFP Season 2, but should it instead take place in Season 3, with Ultra Magnus and the Predacon? Please review.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Got some suggestions, and I think this story will stay in Season 2 of TFP; I kind of like the idea of an intact Jasper. See below; Jack, being the master strategist, sees instant opportunities for an undercover Technorganic!**

**Also, regarding the TFP Bumblebee: LuisJM had come up with a good way of depicting his "beeps" and "boops" communications in print (see his "Transformers Prime Season 3" stories). I'll make use of that here as well.**

**Finally, I know this isn't technically a "crossover" since both stories are still in the Transformers Universe, so let's call it a "mini crossover".**

**So anyway, in this chapter, Sari meets the rest of Team Prime, and at the other side, her friends try to find out what happened to her. Please review!**

Chapter 2: What Happened to Sari? / Sari Settles In

"Jazz! The Halonian weapon is located adjacent to their particle emitter, starboard," said Arcee. "If you hit that area of the ship you can disable both."

"Acknowledged," said Jazz, and powered up his overshock sonic battery. Meanwhile, Optimus, unable to board the Ark-32, was forced to hide behind a rock, to avoid being hit by the Halonian weapon's yellow ray.

"Sonic battery fully charged," said Jazz, and taking aim, he struck the Decepticon ship on the starboard side, blasting a large hole which took out both the Halonian weapon and their particle emitter.

"Good shot, Jazz!" said Optimus, and ran back to the Autobot ship.

Severely disabled, the enemy ship started to retreat. Back aboard, Optimus piloted the Ark-32 and began pursuit.

"Optimus! What about Sari?" said Arcee.

"We will have to come back and find out what happened afterwards," he replied. For now, our first priority is to pursue that disabled Decepticon ship before it's able to return to base." And following close behind, they got close enough to take out its propulsion systems.

"Now, Jazz! Blast their engines!" commanded Optimus. And Jazz fired all 16 particle-combustion cannons, completely destroying them. The Decepticon ship sat lifeless in space over the red planet.

"Hail the Decepticon ship, Arcee, and issue our terms of surrender," said Optimus. "Tell them…" but then, the enemy ship exploded.

"Great Cybertron!" yelled Optimus. "What happened?"

"It appears they chose suicide over surrender," said Arcee. "That was not a systems malfunction. My sensors detect that they initiated a Decepticon failsafe system. Sad."

"Nothing to do now but return to the space bridge site and see if we can recover the transport logs," replied Optimus. "Let us hope they give us enough information so we can learn Sari's whereabouts."

* * *

"Well, Sari, do you mind if I run a complete diagnostic on you?" asked Ratchet. "Arcee's just here to observe."

"Don't mind at all!" and she hopped up on his examination table. Ratchet pulled his scope over her and turned on his computer systems. He clicked a few keys and a humming sound began; the displays flickered to life, showing an outline of her body and all its internal parts.

To his right was another display, which began scrolling information about her Cybertronian components. The first few scrolls of data were completely normal for an Autobot: Spark Chamber, processor / neural cluster, energon tank, T-cog, voice box, etc.

"Well, you definitely are Cybertronian, Sari," said Ratchet. "I don't understand how you're able to pull off that little switchover to human, though."

"I do it with my T-cog," Sari explained.

"So, can you transform to a vehicle alt mode?" Asked Arcee.

"No. Only from bot to human," Sari answered. "I can't transform into a car."

"Interesting. Then I suppose while you are an Autobot, your human parts go into subspace storage?" Ratchet asked.

"Yes, exactly. There is a Technorganic expert on Cybertron - my Cybertron, named Dataminer, who has educated me on my physiology. I visit him regularly."

"Wait a minute," said Arcee, "your Cybertron; is it active?"

"Why, yes. It's a living, thriving planet. Yours is not?"

Arcee and Ratchet exchanged sad glances. "No, Sari," said Ratchet, "I'm afraid our Cybertron is dead. Our war with the Decepticons is still being waged. Autobots are scattered all across the galaxy."

Sari put her servo to her mouth. "Oh, I'm so sorry," she said.

"Now, I have a question for you," said Arcee. You are half Autobot, half human. Are you a citizen of Earth, or of Cybertron?"

"I am a citizen of Cybertron," she answered. "I took my oath of loyalty and became a Cybertronian citizen shortly after Megatron was defeated."

"So you were not protoformed on Cybertron?" Arcee continued.

"No. I was a Sparkling protoform that was discovered by a human on Earth. I call him my 'father'. He touched me and I absorbed his DNA. That is how I was 'born', if you will. It's also how I got my human half. However, I never had what humans call a birth certificate, or any kind of citizenship papers. I had nothing. So once we were able to defeat Megatron, I was anxious to declare my loyalty to one or the other, and I chose my Autobot half."

"And how did your human foster father feel about that choice?" asked Ratchet.

"He was totally supportive. He raised me from the moment of my 'birth'. He gives me his love as if I were 100% his human daughter, and I love him equally as my father. All he ever wants is my happiness."

"That's a remarkable relationship, Sari," said Arcee. "I see the same in Jack and his mother here."

"I look forward to meeting them!" smiled Sari.

Ratchet's diagnostic system began beeping. "Eh? What's this?" He went and looked at the display unit. It said "data overload."

"Overload? What overload? He typed some keys to retrieve the last bit of data. It said "mods".

"What's wrong, Ratchet?" Asked Arcee.

"It overloaded while listing Sari's mods," said Ratchet. "Strange, must be a glitch. Let me see where it left off." And he went to retrieve the last known numbered mod before his diagnostic program died.

"What in the...?" Ratchet was stunned.

"Ratchet?" Arcee looked concerned.

"Sari, is this correct?" Ratchet pulled the monitor over to her. She looked at the list.

"Yes."

Ratchet's arm dropped. He stepped back, speechless.

"Will someone please tell me what's going on?" Said Arcee.

Ratchet turned to the two-wheeler with a shocked look on his face. "The diagnostic system ran out of memory listing Sari's mods. It appears that our visitor here possesses more mods in her little body than any Autobot I have ever seen in my entire life!"

"Time to get Optimus," said Arcee.

* * *

"Bulkhead, are you able to make sense of the space bridge logs?" Asked Optimus. He had pulled all of the data from the Martian space bridge and brought it to Cybertron's foremost space bridge expert.

"I will do my best, Bossbot," said the giant green Autobot. Bulkhead retreated to his quarters and pulled up the log file.

"OK, Sari, where the heck did you go?" He said, poring over the logs.

After a while, he hit a dead end. "Wait a minute, this doesn't make any sense! One second, her transport was here, then it's gone? Where'd it go?" He went back to Optimus. "I've gotta go up to that space bridge, Optimus," he told him. "I may need to take it apart. Something weird happened."

"Bulkhead, that space bridge's construction was approved by the Autobot High Council," said Optimus. "You can't start taking it apart without their written authorization. I'm going to have to go to Cybertron and request an emergency meeting to get their permission."

"But…Optimus! Sari…"

"I understand. But I can't allow you to start taking it apart. Go to Mars, do what you can to examine the space bridge. But DO NOT disassemble it until I return with the proper authorization. Is that clear?"

Bulkhead dropped his helm and sighed. "Clear."

* * *

"Well, hello, Sari. Ratchet tells me you are a very gifted Autobot."

"Thank you, Sir," Sari replied.

"And Arcee believes that you came to us by accident, from an alternate dimension?"

"I think, that's the best explanation for what happened, yes."

"Well, I am confident that Ratchet and Raphael will do everything possible to find a way to get you home. In the meantime, how do you feel about being here with us?"

"I would be my honor to serve as a member of your team, Optimus, if you believe me worthy."

"Oh, very much so, Sari," he replied. "Let me introduce you to Team Prime." And he motioned for her to join him in the central area.

"Autobots, earth partners, I'd like to introduce Sari," said Optimus. "To the best of our knowledge and ability to understand, she has come to us from an alternate dimension, where there is another Earth, another race of Autobots, another Cybertron. How she came to us, we are not certain; Ratchet and Raphael are trying to solve that mystery as we speak. But Sari comes to us with a great number of Autobot skills and capabilities, and while with us, she has agreed to become the newest member of Team Prime."

"Woo hoo! Way to go, Sari!" yelled Miko, clapping.

"Another interesting fact about Sari," continued Optimus, "is that she is a very special type of Autobot, something which we do not have in our world. Sari is what is called a 'Technorganic'. She is half Autobot, half human, which explains her size. Her alt mode is a human female."

"Now, if everyone would please come and introduce yourself to our newest team member."

Everyone came forward to welcome Sari.

Miko was the first to run up. "Hey! Remember me?" she smiled.

"How could I forget, Miko?" Sari chuckled. "You're the first face I saw here."

"Well, if there's one person you'll never forget, Sari, it's Miko!" said Bulkhead. The tall green Autobot came up to introduce himself.

"Welcome Sari! My name's Bulkhead."

"Hi, Bulkhead! You remind me very much of my friend at home named 'Bulkhead'. He's also a big bot – and he's green! Can I take a guess as to what your close combat weapon is?"

"Sure! What is it?"

"Wrecking ball?"

"Hey! That's right! How'd you know?"

"Well, my Bulkhead has the same."

"That's kinda freaky," he chuckled nervously, rubbing his helm.

"Oh, sorry! I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable. He is one of my very closest friends, though. I call him 'Bulky'."

"Aw, that's nice. I guess you miss him, huh?"

"Yeah, I do. But, if I do make it back to my world, I would look forward to telling him that I met another great bot named Bulkhead," she smiled.

"Aw, thanks, Sari!" Bulkhead laughed.

Next was Bumblebee. A little shy since he didn't have a voice box, he nevertheless came up.

_**(Hello, Sari, I'm Bumblebee. Can you understand me?)**_

_**(Hi there! Yes, I can understand you very well, Bumblebee. Nice to meet you!)**_

"Hey! Sari's talking in Bumblebee talk!" Yelled Miko.

_**(Wow – how is it you can understand me?)**_

_**(Well, you're communicating digitally, which goes straight through to my processor. But also, I have a language mod, and can understand over 9 million languages.)**_

_**(9 million!)**_

_**(Yes, it helped me during Autobot Boot Camp. We had to do a hostage rescue. The hostage spoke Denebian.)**_

_**(Oh, and you don't have to respond to me digitally, Sari. I can understand you normally.)**_

"Oh! Sorry," she switched back to voice mode. "Anyway, Bumblebee! My best friend is Bumblebee – well in my dimension. He's yellow just like you." Sari then sighed. "I miss him."

_**(Oh, don't feel bad, Sari. Raf's my best friend, and he's the smartest kid I know! If anyone can find out how to get you home, he can!)**_

"Thanks, Bee – I mean, Bumblebee. Sorry, 'Bee' is my nickname for my Bumblebee."

_**(That's OK, you can call me 'Bee' if you want.)**_

Smokescreen was next. "So, Sari! Great to meet you! I'm Smokescreen; you can call me 'Smoke'".

"Great to meet you, Smoke!"

"So, do you have a Smokescreen in your world?" he asked her.

"Hmmm. None that I know of. Doesn't mean there isn't though. In my dimension, the Autobots won the war, and there are a lot fewer Decepticons and a lot more Autobots, so there could very well be a Smokescreen out there somewhere."

"Wait. The war's over in your dimension? You Autobots won?"

"Yeah. Sorry it isn't over here," she said with a sad look. "But if there's any way I can help you guys win, I sure as heck want to!"

"Well, glad to have you on our side, Sari!" said Smoke.

Arcee walked up. "Sari, I'm glad you're joining our team. We can certainly use your help."

"Glad to be here, Arcee. Optimus said you can brief me on everything I need to know about your situation here. Thanks for taking the time to bring me up to speed."

"Absolutely! The sooner the better! In fact, let's make that the next order of business."

"Sounds perfect, thanks!" said Sari.

"So, how come you haven't shown everyone your human side yet?" said Miko.

"Well, no one's asked me! Who wants to see?"

"Well, hold on," Miko responded. "Let me introduce you to the rest of the group."

"Any other bots?"

"Well, we do have another, but he's in and out a lot, and that's Wheeljack. He's out at the moment. You'll see him next time he's in. But anyway. Hey! Raf! Jack! Mrs. Darby! What're you waiting for?"

Raf came up. "I met you already, Sari, in sick bay, but I'm glad you're going to help us. Please believe me, I will do my very best to try and find a way to get you home."

"Oh, thank you Raphael," Sari responded. "I know you will."

"Oh, call him Raf," said Miko. Only Ratchet and Optimus call him Raphael."

"OK, Raf," Sari smiled.

"Hi, Sari," said Jack, offering a handshake. "Very nice to meet you. I'm Jack. This is a very good team, and Optimus is a terrific leader. Glad to have you!"

Sari shook his hand. "Great to meet you too, Jack!"

June came up. "Sari! It's so nice to finally see you up and about! I'm June. I came up when you first appeared on the floor. I thought you were a human in a robot suit!" she laughed.

"Oh, speaking of that, June, Jack," said Sari, and with a flash of blue, she transformed into "human" mode. "How's this?"

June stepped forward in awe. "Sari? Is that really you?"

"It's me, June. Here, feel my hands. This is my human side."

June reached out and took Sari's hands. "They're warm, not cold like an Autobot." Her nurse instincts kicking in, she said, "Mind if I take your pulse?"

"Oh, well, there is that though," she said. "You see, even in 'human' mode, I'm not 100% human."

"Oh? What do you mean?"

"Well, try and check for a pulse," Sari said.

June felt around Sari's wrist and looked for a pulse. "Nothing! Why is that?" she asked.

"I don't have a heart. Even in 'human' mode, I still have my Spark chamber. And because of that, I don't have a pulse, or blood pressure. I don't have a brain either – it's still my Autobot processor."

"Miko tells me you're a nurse. I assume you've examined eyes?"

"Well, yes, of course!" June responded.

"Do you have your ophthalmoscope?"

"It's in my nurse's bag, in my car."

"Go get it, I've got something interesting to show you," she smiled.

"Oh, OK," and June went to her car and grabbed her bag. She took out her ophthalmoscope.

"Have a look in my eye," said Sari. And June did an examination looking into one of Sari's bright blue eyes.

"Oh, my!" she said. "Your eyes are definitely NOT human, Sari! From the outside, they appear human, but with my ophthalmoscope, I can see the intricate circuitry. It's like looking at an Autobot's eye, but one that's been disguised to mimic a human's eye. Sari, this is amazing!"

She put her instrument down. "It's almost what I would imagine a bionic eye would look like."

"Told ya those eyes are cool!" said Miko.

"Technorganics retain some Autobot parts even in their organic state," Sari explained. "We're still 'Robots in disguise', you might say."

"Kind of the way full Autobots keep the Autobot insignia on their steering wheel," said Raf.

"What's that ring on your finger?" asked Miko.

"It's my Autobot ring," said Sari. "It shows that I am a citizen of Cybertron. When I am in 'human' mode, it's the equivalent of the Autobot insignia on my armor in 'bot' mode. Shows which side I'm on."

Jack had an idea. "You know, Sari, Arcee's going to give you an intelligence briefing, but essentially, in our dimension the general public doesn't know about the Autobots. Since you have the ability to transform into 'human' mode, you can really operate in disguise when we go out into the world at large."

"Jack, that's right!" said June. "She wouldn't have to be in Jasper as a silent car or a motorcycle. She could be walking alongside one of us."

"Wow, Jack, that's an excellent observation!" said Miko. "You should tell that to Arcee."

"Although, Sari," observed June, "if you come upon a Decepticon while you are in 'human' mode, would it be prudent to turn your Autobot ring around?"

* * *

Optimus and Ratchet were on Cybertron, outside the chambers of the Autobot High Council. A request for an emergency meeting had been approved, and they were about to go in and ask permission for Bulkhead to disassemble the Martian space bridge.

"Do you think we'll get approval?" asked Ratchet.

"I think that will hinge largely on who is in charge of overseeing the construction of the Martian colony," answered Optimus.

"Well, who is it?"

"Let me look at the meeting request," and he scanned the list. "Oh…no!"

"What? What is it? Who's in charge?"

"Sentinel Prime."

**Oh, yikes, of all bots to be overseeing the construction of the Martian colony, it had to be Sentinel Prime! This ought to be an interesting emergency meeting, to request permission to take the just-completed space bridge apart. They were on schedule to begin sending construction bots to start building the foundation. Should be some sparks flying at that Autobot High Council meeting! Thanks for reading.**

**Back on TFP, Arcee will give Sari a briefing to bring her up to speed on their world and what to expect from the Decepticons, the search for relics, and of course, MECH! Then, Optimus will want to put her on a team to see what she can do! I suspect she will do quite well indeed.**

**Please review.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Sari's getting settled in. In "bot" mode, Team Prime will begin to learn more about her capabilities. In "human" mode, she'll be staying with the Darbys. She'll need to make sure her knowledge of this Earth doesn't conflict with her Earth knowledge. And hopefully Unit E can get her some ID!**

**Back at "Transformers Animated", the search for Sari goes on…**

"Alright, Sari, how would you feel about doing some sparring? Optimus thought it would be a good way to gauge your fighting skills," asked Arcee.

"I would be honored!" she replied. "I did sparring with my Sensei as part of my training, as well as other Cyber-Ninjas when they would visit us."

"How do you feel about sparring with me?"

"Be glad to!" And with that, the two Ninjas headed back to the exercise area in Autobot headquarters. All the other bots gathered around to watch. "This oughta be good!" said Bulkhead.

_**("My bets are on Sari!")**_

"Yeah, you always bet on the small bots," said Smoke.

Sari and Arcee faced off. Sari's Ninja stance had her body turned diagonally, left shoulder and face turned toward Arcee. Knees slightly bent, legs apart, she made a tight fist with her right servo, elbow down, knuckles vertical. Left servo palm up, elbow down and digits fanned out and curved backwards over right servo, thumb turned in.

"Look at Sari's face!" said Bulkhead. "Now, that's what I call a gameface!" he chuckled. Indeed, Sari's chin was down, optics stern. She stared down her opponent.

As soon as Ratchet called "Begin!", Sari moved her right arm back and left palm straight forward, moving it with a striking motion in the direction of her opponent.

"This femme's serious," thought Arcee.

Sari began running almost faster than the eye could see toward Arcee, arms out and back. Arcee quickly got into a defensive posture. Sari began twisting counter-clockwise, pivoting on her right leg, toe down. She jumped up, left arm bent, face looking toward Arcee, knees bent. In an instant, while airborne, Sari's twist now suddenly pivoted up and sideways!

Flying toward Arcee, her shoulders were now parallel to the two-wheeler's chassis, legs perpendicular coming towards her in a rapid arc, left knee bent touching her left elbow, right arm straight back. She completed her offensive maneuver, right leg delivering a hard strike to Arcee's chassis, knocking her backwards.

"Ooof!" Said Arcee. "Ok, one for you!"

Getting up, they now had both arms up in defensive mode. Arcee's arms were apart, leaving her vulnerable to an attack. Sari cocked her right shoulder back, and prepared to deliver a right blow, but Arcee blocked it with her left arm, and pushed Sari's right shoulder back, knocking her off-balance.

Recovering, Sari jumped up and pivoted on her left leg. She attempted to spring up and deliver a roundhouse kick to Arcee's head. Arcee dodged and responded by pivoting on her right leg and with her left leg, delivered a kick to Sari's chest, knocking her backwards. Sari recovered by doing several backwards somersaults.

_**("Even match, so far")**_

Arcee rushed forward and did a right leg roundhouse kick at Sari's chest, but Sari grabbed Arcee's pede and pushed up and forward, knocking her off balance, causing Arcee to fall backwards.

"Hold on. Did Sari just push Arcee and knock her back?" asked Smoke.

_**("Yep")**_

Sari jumped up and tried to land a left kick to Arcee, but she managed to get up quickly and block it with her right arm. They both drew back, Arcee bending her arms in defensive mode, Sari prepared to attack again. Arcee did a kick with her right leg; Sari drew back to avoid the strike. Arcee then raised both arms in offensive mode. They faced each other. Sari jumped up and attempted to land a left jab at Arcee's face; she blocked it hard with her right servo, knocking Sari around and backwards.

Sari now had her back to Arcee, who attempted to grab Sari by the shoulders. Just before she laid her servos on her, Sari threw her arms up and around, pushing Arcee's servos down to the floor. She then jumped up and did a backwards somersault, pushing herself over Arcee's helm, landing behind her.

Jumping up from behind, Sari did a twisting maneuver and using both legs, kicked Arcee between her wings, knocking her forward onto her knees. Pushing herself off of Arcee's shoulder, she completed the circle around front, landing on her pedes facing Arcee, and returned to her Ninja Stance.

"Time!" called Ratchet. Both opponents returned to their respective corners. Sari turned toward Arcee and giving the Asian gesture of añjali mudrā, she bowed and said "Thank you for a very worthy sparring competition."

"You are most welcome, Sari," said Arcee, panting.

* * *

"It's very kind of you to let me use your guest room, June," said Sari.

"Oh, my pleasure, Sari. I think it was an excellent idea of Arcee's, and once Optimus approved, I was all for it. I mean, as Jack said, you of all the Autobots have the perfect disguise. You can walk among the folks here in Jasper undetected – or wherever the Autobots need to go when there's a mission, and gather Intel from the locals."

"Arcee told me that right now, we're in need of retrieving the Iacon relics before the Decepticons get them. According to the database Raf was able to download, a few of them are located in populated areas. Optimus wants me to go on those missions to assist, particularly if we come in contact with the locals. In the meantime, I need to quickly get myself up to speed on your Earth's history and culture; that's why they want me to spend some time in Jasper. I hope my Earth's knowledge is not too much at variance with yours."

"Sounds like you might be spending some time at our library."

"That, and some local hangouts," Sari smiled.

"Well, Jack can help you with that," said June, looking in her rear view mirror. He and Arcee were following behind.

"So, Arcee, what do you think of our new team member?"

"She's a very powerful Autobot, Jack. I was with Ratchet when his diagnostic system began listing all of her mods and weaponry. It ran out of memory."

"Really? In an Autobot that small?"

"Don't judge things by their size, partner. Cybertronian engineering is far superior to Earth's. We mastered nanotechnology millions of years ago. You'd be surprised what we can fit into small packages."

"But, if she can't transform into a vehicle, how will she get around? She'll have to jump into a car with another Autobot like Miko, or Raf – or like me on your cycle."

"She can fly."

"What?!"

"You heard me. She's got plasma boosters on her pedes and servos. Ratchet and I were shocked too when we read that. She's also a Cyber-Ninja – well, she's pretty near completed her training. Which means she's mastered some heavy-duty powers like Processor-Over-Matter and Crystalocution."

"Who-what-where?"

"She can manipulate physical objects just by thinking about them, and break metal by striking them at just the right spot."

"Holy…!"

"Uh huh. You getting me now?"

"Plus, being Ninja-trained, she's got some wicked fighting skills. Optimus asked me to go sparring with her yesterday. She gave me a good workout!"

"So, we're putting probably the most powerful robot in the galaxy in my house – someone we've only just met a couple days ago. Great."

"Hey, Ratchet's checked her out, I checked her out, and Optimus trusts her. Plus, I think your mother's got good instincts, and she trusts her. Sari's really a good bot, Jack, and I truly believe she's on our side. If that's not good enough for you, say the word and I'll bring her back to Outpost Omega One."

Jack sighed. "No, it's OK. It's just my natural, pessimistic side kicking in, is all."

….

"Absolutely not! This is absurd! We've got a schedule to keep!"

"Thank you, Sentinel Prime," said Perceptor. "Optimus Prime, how much time do you think Bulkhead would need to work on the space bridge?"

"We're not entirely sure, Perceptor. Bulkhead has examined the space bridge logs carefully. I uploaded a copy of the logs to the Science Guild before this meeting. According to Bulkhead, Sari's space bridge transit records suddenly disappeared. It is his opinion that only by opening up the space bridge, can he try and determine what happened to her."

"So we are going to rely on some green space bridge technician's opinion, while I've got hundreds of construction bots waiting to use that bridge so they can arrive and begin work?"

"Sentinel Prime, I fail to see the relevance of the color of the space bridge technician's armor," said Perceptor.

"Wha…? No! That's not what I…I meant, are we going to rely on some lowly reject from an energon farm, whom I had the misfortune to have under me in Autobot Boot Camp, hold up an entire schedule for building the colony on Mars?"

"That remains to be seen," said Alpha Trion. "Optimus Prime, you said that just before Sari Sumdac disappeared in the orb, the space bridge was behaving strangely?"

"Yes, Alpha Trion. It had been struck by a new Halonian weapon acquired by the Decepticons. It was a yellow beam, which apparently caused the bridge to malfunction. The orb that formed was blue and yellow."

"Then there is a possibility that the space bridge might be permanently damaged," said Perceptor, "in which case, your construction bots could be adversely affected if they use it, Sentinel Prime."

"I'm sure it was just a temporary glitch!" Sentinel Prime protested.

"I don't share your optimism," said Alpha Trion. "I think a complete systems check of the space bridge is called for."

"I agree," said Perceptor. "And as part of that systems check, and given that Bulkhead is Cybertron's foremost space bridge expert, I approve of his work, Optimus Prime. And if he deems it necessary to disassemble the space bridge in his efforts to find out what happened to the Technorganic Sari Sumdac, so be it."

"Does the rest of the High Council agree?" asked Alpha Trion. All agreed.

"Thank you," said Optimus. Sentinel Prime scowled at this loss.

….

Sari sat at the KO Burger, enjoying her super combo, courtesy of June. "Hey Jack! This is good! Almost like my Burger Bot at home!"

"Glad you like it, Sari!" he said. He came out from the kitchen. "So how's it going at the library?"

"Good so far. The librarian's very helpful, and you have a good internet connection here in Jasper."

Fortunately there wasn't anyone else in the restaurant at the time so they could speak openly. "Your history is pretty much a parallel of mine, which is very fortunate. I won't make any bad gaffes talking about events or history," she smiled.

"How'd she let you use the computer without an ID?" Jack asked.

"Oh, I told her I forgot mine. She told me to bring it next time I'm in. Which reminds me, I'm meeting Agent Fowler this afternoon. We're going to ask Unit E if they can create some ID for me."

"Make you a citizen of Jasper?"

"Oh no, probably don't want to do that," Sari responded. "Jasper's too small a town, and my manufactured background would be uncovered pretty quickly. No, they'll give me a background from a large city – Detroit would be nice! But I'll leave that up to the experts."

Just then, some customers came in. "Two super combos with extra fries please," the couple said. "Coming right up," replied Jack. "That'll be $5.59," and started to ring it up. The register started beeping uncontrollably. "Darn it! This stupid thing's going nuts again! He hit it with his fist, and it stopped beeping. "Sorry about that," he said to the couple," here's your change," and he went back to prepare their order.

After they left, Sari asked him about the register. "Does that happen often?"

"Lots of times," he sighed. "I've complained, but they don't have the money to get it fixed."

"Maybe I can help."

"How?"

"Let me take a look. Keep an eye out for anyone coming," and she stepped up to the register.

Jack stood next to her, watching the door, and Sari placed her hands over the register keys. Her fingers opened up and the prods penetrated the register.

Jack's eyes opened wide as he looked down. "Huh? What the heck?"

Suddenly, Sari's eyes went from blue / white to bright white and she began "seeing" the internal workings of the register system. Jack stepped back. "Sari, this is freaking me out a little."

"It's OK, Jack; I see what the problem is. I can fix this," and she repaired the broken circuitry in the register. Her prods retracted back into her fingers, her eyes changed back from white to blue / white, and she stepped away from the register. "Give it a try," she said, smiling.

Jack whimpered, and cautiously approached the register. He tried opening the cash drawer, and everything worked fine. Looking back at Sari, he said "What did you do? How did you do that?"

She sensed his apprehension. "It's OK, Jack. I have a mod that lets me repair electronic systems. I can talk to them, and they tell me where they are broken. Then, I make the fix."

"But, you are not in your 'bot' mode! And, your fingers – they came apart!"

"Remember when I said that in 'human' mode I'm not 100% human? Well, that's an example. This mod – I call it my 'mojo' mod – works in both 'bot' and 'human' mode."

"I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable, Jack," she said, looking remorseful. "I didn't mean to."

"It's OK, Sari," he replied, rubbing the back of his neck. "Arcee told me about all of your abilities. I just have to get used to them. I'm naturally a cautious kind of guy."

"You're also an excellent strategist," Sari replied. "Team Prime's lucky to have you."

"So, how are you getting back to Outpost Omega One?" asked Jack. "You gonna fly?"

Sari laughed. "Oh, no! That wouldn't be a very good OPSEC measure, eh? No, I'm riding back there with Raf inside Bumblebee."

….

"Agent Fowler inbound," said Ratchet.

Sari stood at the tunnel entrance, waiting to meet him. Arcee was at her side.

"Does he know about me yet?" she asked.

"Only that we have a new Autobot," said Arcee. "We'll fill in the blanks when he gets here."

Fowler's car arrived in the base, and he got out. He looked up at Arcee, and looked around. "So? Where is this new Autobot? I don't see him."

"You need to look down, Agent Fowler. You drove right past her." Arcee motioned to Team Prime's newest member. "This is Sari."

Fowler looked from Arcee's servo down. "Huh? This is an Autobot? You're kidding, right?"

Arcee frowned. "Agent Fowler, do all humans judge things by their size? I'm disappointed in you. I'm smaller than Bulkhead; does that make me less valuable? For your information, Sari happens to be the most powerful Autobot I've ever met!"

"Alright, alright. Point taken," he raised his hands in surrender. "My apologies, Sari."

"No worries, Agent Fowler," said Sari, and smiling, offered her servo in a handshake.

"So, what can I do for you?" he asked.

"Well, for starters, Sari is a very special type of Autobot. Rather than transforming into a vehicle, she transforms into something else entirely," said Arcee.

"And that is?"

A flash of blue, and Sari transformed into "human" mode.

Fowler raised an eyebrow. "Well, I'll be a bald eagle!"

"We believe that Sari's ability to transform into human form might be extremely valuable in blending in to the population at large," explained Arcee. "One thing she's missing though, is some form of identification. "Do you think it would be possible for Unit E to get her some?"

"Of course, that as easy as snapping my fingers!" said Fowler. "I see the value here. Now, you said something about her being the most powerful Autobot?"

"Sari possesses more mods and weapons than any other Autobot any of us have seen," said Arcee. "And, she can fly."

"Is that so? I don't suppose you can give me a little demonstration here – I mean, given your small size, maybe you can fly around a bit."

Sari looked up at Arcee for guidance. "Go ahead," said the two-wheeler. "I've been kind of wanting to see it myself, Sari. We're indoors, but are you able to do a small run?"

"No problem," she replied, and switching back to "bot" mode, powered up the plasma thrusters on her pedes and servos. She elevated herself and hovered, up near the top of Arcee's helm. "How's this?" Sari asked.

Arcee chuckled at sight of the little bot hovering next to her optics like a hummingbird.

"Impressive! Can you fly around a bit?" said Fowler.

"OK" and Sari flew a tight flight pattern around the command center. Ratchet turned to see Sari soaring around. "Hey! Don't knock anything over!" he grumbled.

A few other bots came in. "Whoa!" laughed Smoke, seeing Sari flying around. Bumblebee watched her tight turns.

_**(Hey! Sari! Nice maneuvers!)**_

Raf was sitting on the steps, working on his laptop, and suddenly looked up to see her. "Cool!" he said.

She landed gracefully back down next to Arcee.

"OK, I'll assume there are other capabilities," said Fowler.

"A lot more," said Arcee. "Now, what's the best way to get those IDs?"

"I've got the necessary equipment in my trunk to take the photographs. Then I can have the data uploaded to the appropriate government agencies – similar to what we do in a witness protection program. I should have the papers - birth certificate, Social Security Card, driver's license, heck, I can even get her a Voter Card – ready in a couple days.

"Need any charge cards, bank accounts? Oh, why not? I'll get you an account with a government credit union, a Visa and an American Express," he laughed. "Gets charged to Unit E. Let me worry about that. Just don't go buying any Ferraris, OK?"

"No, sir!"

"So, you want to be from any particular place?"

"How about Detroit?" Sari asked.

Fowler shrugged his shoulders and gave a "why not" look. "Sure! OK with me. I'll put that through."

She shook his hand. "Thank you, Agent," she said.

"Glad to help, Sari."

Raf looked at the list of Iacon relics. "I've found the next one!" said Raf. Everyone came up to the display board.

"Where is it?" asked Ratchet.

"Mumbai, India."

"That's where my father's family is from!" said Sari.

"Sounds like you might be able to blend in well," said Arcee.

"But, can you speak Hindi?" asked Fowler.

"_**I speak Hindi quite well**__"_ answered Sari in flawless Hindi.

"Huh?"

"I assume, Fowler, that she just answered you in Hindi," said Arcee. Sari nodded.

….

Jazz and Bulkhead were on Mars, working on the space bridge. He had the entire system disassembled. It sat in pieces all across the Martian landscape.

He sat there on the red ground, disconsolate. "I can't find anything! Nothing!" He looked at Jazz. "I checked, and re-checked, and re-re-checked every single piece! I don't know where she went, Jazz. What'm I gonna do?" He shut his optics and shook his helm. Throwing his face up to the red sky he yelled "Sari, WHERE ARE YOU?"

Jazz was unsure how to proceed. He reached over and picked up the control panel. Suddenly, his Spark sensed something. "Bulkhead! Something's here!"

"What?! What is it?"

"I'm…I'm not sure. I need, I need to meditate." He sat down and got into Lotus position.

**Well, it looks like getting info out of the space bridge has reached a dead end. Will Cyber-Ninja techniques uncover anything? Thanks for reading.**

**Please review! Any suggestions appreciated!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Taking apart the space bridge was a dead end. Jazz attempts another way.**

Sari was asleep, recharging in the Darby guest room. It was about 3:00 AM. Suddenly, she sat up. A strong sensation came to her Spark.

"Sensei?" she called out. She got out of bed, sat on the floor and got into Lotus position. Going into a deep meditation, the connection became stronger.

"_Sari. Sari, where are you?"_

"_Sensei, I am here. I feel your presence."_

"_We are searching for you, Sari. Are you safe?"_

"_Yes, Sensei, I am safe."_

"_I am glad you are safe. Where are you?"_

"_I am in a parallel dimension, another world. There are Autobots and humans here."_

"_Can you return?"_

"_I do not know. The Autobots and humans are trying to help me."_

"_We will try to work together, Sari. I will let everyone know you are safe."_

"_Thank you, Sensei. I made friends here."_

"_I am glad. We shall communicate this way regularly. Do you have an Autobot leader?"_

"_Yes, he is a Prime. His name is also Optimus."_

"_Very good. Tell him about our Cyber-Ninja link. I shall leave my Spark open for your next communication. Send it to me when you are ready."_

"_Yes, Sensei. Thank you for reaching out to me. Please tell everyone I am well."_

"_I will do that, Sari. Farewell until our next communication."_

"_Farewell, Sensei."_

* * *

"She's WHERE?!" said Isaac, bolting up from his chair.

"She is in a parallel dimension," explained Jazz. "A parallel Earth. I was able to reach her through Cyber-Ninja meditation. There must have been a malfunction in the space bridge, which caused her to be sent there. Fortunately, she is among other Autobots."

Professor Sumdac fell back in his chair, rubbing his temples. "This is incredible, unbelievable. Can we get her back?"

"It is not known at the moment. She said that her human and Autobot companions are looking for a way. We must do the same."

"Oh, Jazz, I am so happy she is safe!" Isaac took out his handkerchief and wiped his face. "You don't know how much I have worried."

"I understand, Professor. I too have been greatly concerned. I told her to let me know when we can again communicate. Hopefully, together we will find a way to bring her back to us. Optimus and I have briefed the Autobot High Council, and they have charged Bulkhead with the task of working with me on a way to configure a space bridge for the purpose of bringing her back. Can we use the one on top of Sumdac Tower?"

"Oh, yes, yes, of course! Please let me help you!"

"Very good. I was hoping you would say that. I know in the past, you and Bulkhead have argued over different ways of configuring space bridge technology, but perhaps in this instance you two can put aside your differences and work towards a common goal?"

"Yes, yes, certainly," said Isaac. "Anything to bring my Sari back. Where is Bulkhead now?"

"He just finished reassembling the one on Mars. He'll be here tomorrow."

* * *

"Jazz was able to reach you?" asked Optimus.

"Yes, last night," said Sari.

"Well, that's wonderful, Sari! I'm very glad. I know something about Cyber-Ninja techniques; back when I was Orion Pax, I made an extensive study of Cybertronian mythos. I knew that Cyber-Ninja meditation could transcend space and time. The fact that it can also cross dimensions is of no surprise to me."

"You should let Jazz know as soon as possible that you are ready to communicate with him again. Why don't you schedule a regular weekly time?"

"That would be good," Sari responded. "That way it won't interfere with our missions."

"There's an unused room here down at the end of the Autobot quarters. That should be a quiet spot for you."

"That would be great, sir. Thank you!"

"Absolutely, Sari. While I very much appreciate the help you are giving Team Prime, I also want you to be able to get home."

* * *

"_Sensei."_

"_Sari, I am here."_ Jazz was sitting in the common area at Autobot Central. He excused himself from the group and went into his room. He closed the door and got into Lotus position.

"_Sensei, I talked with this world's Optimus. He suggested a weekly communication. They have asked me to assist with their missions, so a weekly timeframe would work best."_

"_That is fine, Sari. Let us set up a schedule."_

"_Today is Tuesday in their world. I have a quiet place in their headquarters. I can meet here on Saturdays, which is in four solar cycles. This time is good. Would that be good for you?"_

"_Yes, this time is good. It is also Tuesday here."_

"_Interesting that the times are the same."_

"_Have they made any progress in uncovering how you arrived?"_

"_The young human believes their bridge system somehow grabbed my transit, but he is still analyzing how it happened. He is very skilled."_

"_Bulkhead is also working hard at this end, Sari, and your father is going to work with him. Hopefully we will find a tunnel."_

"_I am about to embark on my first mission, Sensei. I am very happy to be of service to these brave Autobots."_

"_Good luck, Sari. I will meditate for your success."_

"_Thank you, Sensei. I will let them know."_

"_We will communicate again on Saturday. Farewell until then."_

"_Farewell, Sensei."_

* * *

"Alright team, for this mission, we will have Bumblebee, Sari, and myself," said Arcee. "We're going to a location in Mumbai, India, to look for an Iacon relic. The Decepticons no doubt will be there as well, and I assume that Megatron will dispatch Knockout, along with several Vehicons."

"Sari, you are familiar with the local culture?" continued Arcee.

"Yes. Mumbai is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city on Earth, so it's extremely likely we will run into locals at every turn. Trying to operate discreetly will be very difficult."

"That's where you come in. Hopefully you can provide some misdirection, should we arouse suspicion. But, if we run into trouble with the Decepticons, forget cover, we'll need you to transform and assist."

"Understood."

"Alright. Ratchet, you're up."

"The area where Raphael believes the relic is located is in the neighborhood of Mumbra," said Ratchet.

"I have cousins in Mumbra – well, in my world, at least," said Sari.

"Well, here's hoping our Mumbra is not too different from yours," said Arcee.

"That'd be great," said Sari.

"I'm going to ground bridge you just south of the Mumbra railway station," said Ratchet. "There's a tunnel south of there."

"The Parsik Tunnel," said Sari.

"The relic is located somewhere inside the wall of the tunnel," said Ratchet.

"It's a pretty narrow tunnel, about 1.5 kilometers long" said Sari, "with two tracks. There's room for humans to get out of the way of a speeding train, but definitely not for an Autobot."

"Any side corridors?" asked Arcee.

"I don't know. I've ridden trains through the tunnel, but I've never actually walked through it."

_**("Well, do the trains run all the time?")**_

"I pulled up the schedule on my laptop," said Raf. The last train at night runs through at 12:35am Mumbai time. The next one's not until 4:05."

"So we need to work between those times. Alright," said Arcee. "Is there a place near the tunnel where we can hide outside that window?"

"Unfortunately, Mumbra is in the Thane district, which is the most populated district in India," said Sari. "When you're talking India, there really aren't many places to hide."

"Scrap. This isn't going to be easy," Arcee sighed.

"Can we ground bridge to arrive just after the last train run? The Mumbai time zone is 13.5 hours ahead of us, so we'll need to leave here just before 11:05am Pacific Time," said Sari. "Then, we'll have three and a half hours before the first train comes through the tunnel."

_**("And what if we run out of time?")**_

"Ground bridge back?" asked Sari.

"Not an option if there are Decepticons nearby," said Arcee. "We can't risk them finding our base. We may just have to look for someplace near the tunnel, and hope we can hide – somehow."

"Wait. We don't yet know exactly where in the tunnel the Iacon relic is, and the tunnel is too narrow for a regular-sized Autobot, should a train come through," said Sari. "What if I went first by myself, and looked for the relic? I could locate the exact spot, and when I found it, let you know, and then you could ground bridge in and together we can retrieve it?"

"I don't like it," said Arcee. "I know you have tremendous skills and capabilities, Sari, but for your first mission, I want someone to be with you."

"How about me?"

They turned around to see Miko.

"I meant an Autobot, Miko," said Arcee.

"Oh, come on! You know I've been on missions before! And I also helped retrieve the Iacon relic in Manhattan! I can help Sari!"

"Out of the question!" Said Arcee. "Should you run into Decepticons, who's going to help you?"

_**("Uh, Sari can help Miko if she gets in any trouble, no?")**_

Frustrated at starting to lose the argument, Arcee turned to the other Autobot in the group who might provide a less than optimistic point of view. "Ratchet? What's your opinion?"

He rubbed his chin. "Extremely risky. But then again, any mission that involves Miko is extremely risky."

"Hey!" Miko protested.

"Might work, though," the old bot said.

_**("I think Sari's got the necessary skills and experience, Arcee. And, she ought to be able to keep Miko in check.")**_

Raf snickered at that last comment. Miko shot a sharp glance at Raf. "What'd he say?"

Arcee sighed. "Anyone else?"

"As long as Sari maintains constant communication with base, I think it's worth the risk," came a voice from behind. Everyone turned to see Optimus. "Miko? Will you take extra care on the mission, and do you promise me that you will listen to Sari and not do anything rash?" he asked the Japanese teen.

"Oh, yes, Optimus! I promise!"

("Uh huh!" Jack muttered to himself.)

"Then, in my opinion, I think Sari's idea is a good one."

"Yes!" Miko did a fist pump.

"Very well," said Arcee, yielding. "Miko, your job will be to guide Sari on the mission protocols. Sari, let me show you how to operate the relic locator."

"Another thing, Arcee," said Sari. "Is there a way Miko and I can get local clothing?"

"Hadn't thought of that," Arcee responded. "You two would blend in better if you were dressed properly. But what's your cover?"

"My cousins attended a prestigious private school in that area, the 'National Education Society International School'. I could pose as a teacher, and Miko as a student."

Raf checked the school information on his laptop. Pulling up the school dress code, he whistled. "Whoa! Hey, Miko! You'll have to wear a uniform!"

"What?! No way!" she complained.

"You want to go on this mission, girl, you've got to go along with the cover," said Arcee.

"I can contact Agent Fowler," said Ratchet. "He might be able to get the appropriate clothing for Sari and Miko. You ladies will have to give me your dress sizes."

"Teachers at that school don't wear a uniform, just dress professionally," said Sari. "However, I will need a matching dupatta."

"A what?" asked Raf.

"I can show you on your laptop, Raf," she smiled. "It's like a scarf."

Miko crossed her arms and grumbled. "Gonna have to wear a uniform. Sheesh!"

"And to complete the cover, I assume you'll be an exchange student, Miko," said Sari. "Since you don't speak Hindi, do you want to be from America, or Japan?"

"_Well, duh! I'm from Japan!"_ Miko spat back at Sari in Japanese. _"So I'll be a Japanese student!"_

"_OK, Miko, no worries – you'll be a Japanese exchange student. Works for me!"_ responded Sari in flawless Japanese, which floored Miko. "Um, so you speak Japanese, too?" she responded sheepishly.

"I speak over 9 million languages, Miko," smiled Sari.

"OK, this fembot's got me beat," said Miko, throwing up her arms.

_**("Hey, Sari! Say something in Marklar!")**_

"Oh, no, Bumblebee!" said Sari, "I don't want to hurt anyone's ears."

"I heard Marklar once," said Ratchet. "It's a very loud and uh, 'dirty' language."

* * *

"So, Arcee, what can you tell me about that Halonian weapon?" asked Isaac.

"Although the Halonians are trading partners with Cybertron, they keep their technology a closely guarded secret. Everything they sell contains proprietary circuitry, and its design is so advanced, not even Perceptor has been able to reverse-engineer it."

"However, during the battle I was able to download a description of its capability. They make that part available, to entice buyers."

"Of course!" said Isaac. "Let a potential customer smell the steak," he chuckled.

Unfortunately the analogy was lost on Arcee, and she gave him a confused look. Nevertheless, she continued. "This particular weapon, if it hits an Autobot or an organic, sends them into the shadowzone."

"The shadowzone!" he gasped. "An alternate dimension. But, Sari was not hit by the weapon, is that correct?"

"No, she was not. Here, I have a video log of what happened." And she put the holo-disk in the player. It showed the battle on Mars. Sari was in the air, and saw Optimus being hit, crashing to the ground. He then ordered her to defend the space bridge. She flew down and faced the Decepticon ship, placing herself between the enemy ship and the bridge.

"Oh, my brave Sari," he sighed.

"It was at this point that I told her they were powering up the Halonian weapon," Arcee continued. And then the video showed a yellow beam coming at her. She dodged the beam mere moments before it hit her, but it hit the space bridge. The bridge then activated.

"Stop the video!" said Isaac. "Rewind back to just before the moment the beam hit the space bridge." And Arcee rewound back to that point. Isaac stepped up to the screen for a closer look.

"Play it forward, slowly," he asked. And she played it right at the moment the beam hit.

"Stop right there." And she stopped. "Enlarge the image, please. Let me see exactly where the beam struck the bridge." And Arcee zoomed in to that point.

"Look!" he pointed. "It hit the console. Now, take it forward, slowly. I want to see which coordinates were activated." Arcee forwarded the video very slowly, and everyone in the room watched as the console readings slowly turned on. Finally, the console displayed the target coordinates.

"There! Stop!" he said.

"Earth?" It was sending her to Earth?" said Arcee.

Isaac turned around. "Earth, yes. But not our Earth, Arcee. It was sending her to another Earth!"

**Jazz has managed to find Sari, and Isaac begins to piece together clues about what happened to his daughter! **

**Sari's first mission for Team Prime will be just her and Miko – but first they must get appropriate clothing for the location. How will Miko accept having to wear a school uniform? But regardless, what will happen if they come upon Breakout and his Vehicons? Thanks for reading.**


	5. Chapter 5

**OK, in this chapter, Sari and Miko will be conversing in Japanese, and Sari will be conversing in Hindi. Sari will be switching back and forth from Hindi to Japanese, so here's a way to distinguish between the two:**

**When Sari is speaking Hindi, it will be italicized:**

"_**Two round-trip tickets, sir, to Diva Junction, please."**_

**When Sari and Miko are conversing in Japanese, it will be Italicized and in brackets:**

_**["Makes sense. OK with me, Sari."]**_

**Hope that helps!**

Sari came out of the dressing room in her mission outfit. She wore a mustard-colored three-piece salwar kameez with blue trim, and blue, gray and brown paisley dupatta loosely wrapped around her shoulders. She had her hair tied in back, to make her look older.

"Wow! Sari, you look great! Said Raf.

"Very nice, Sari!" said June.

"Thanks!" she smiled, turning around.

"What's that red dot on your forehead?" asked Arcee.

"It's called a bindi," Sari explained. "It has many cultural meanings in south Asia, particularly in my Hindu culture. Red represents honor, love, and prosperity – although nowadays in India it tends to be more of a cosmetic mark used to enhance beauty."

"And you certainly are beautiful!" gushed Agent Fowler, which caused all the humans to turn to him and grin. Caught off guard, he stammered, "Well, she is!"

"Thank you, Agent Fowler. A girl always likes to hear things like that!" smiled Sari.

"So, that's how people in India dress?" asked Smoke.

"Well, women, yes," she chuckled. She looked around. "So, where's Miko?"

"She's still getting dressed," said Jack, pointing his thumb at her dressing room door.

"Come on, Miko! You can't hide in there forever!" grumbled Ratchet.

"I'm not coming out unless Jack and Raf promise to shut it!" yelled Miko from behind the door.

"Jack, Raphael, please show a little decorum," said Optimus. "Miko is not pleased with the outfit chosen for her, and she does not appreciate any untoward mocking."

"Alright, Miko," yelled Jack, "we promise."

Miko, thoroughly miserable, opened the door and stepped out of the changing room. She was wearing a charcoal grey knee-length pleated skirt, white blouse, and dark blue blazer with the school crest, plain black shoes and white socks.

"Miko, you look very nice!" said June approvingly. Jack started to grin, but his mother shot him a withering glance and a sharp pointed finger. "Don't you dare!" she told him. He stopped quickly. She turned to Raf, who suddenly found something interesting on the ceiling.

"Alright," said Arcee. "I think for the first part of this mission, you two will be on reconnaissance. The time is now 7:00pm Pacific, so when you arrive it will be 7:30am Mumbai. Ratchet will ground bridge you near the Mumbra train station. See if you can find out from the locals whether there have been any reports of strange goings-on."

"Give me the Iacon relic sensing device, and I can keep it hidden in my briefcase," said Sari. "I might be able to find a way to use it."

"Alright, good idea," said Arcee. "If you're able to locate it in the tunnel, all the better."

Raf heard his laptop beeping; he'd programmed it for India news alerts. Walking over, he looked at the latest feeds. "Hey, Sari, I've got a news bulletin from Mumbai, looks like something's going on at a train station! But the broadcast's in Hindi," said Raf, excited, "can you translate?" Sari went over to his laptop to watch the TV news anchor. She laughed after a few minutes. "It's OK, Raf," she said, "he's talking about a lady who gave birth on some train platform. She's going to name the child after the EMT who helped deliver it."

"False alarm," said Arcee. "OK, you two ready?"

"Ready," said Sari. And Ratchet powered up the ground bridge. The two stepped in, and in the next instant, they were walking out into an open area in Mumbra.

Miko looked around. "Well, we're in luck, it's early in the morning, and no one happened to see us come out of nowhere."

_["By the way, Miko. I think you and I should converse in Japanese. Most Indians speak English, especially in Mumbai. But not many speak Japanese, so to keep our cover, when we talk, let's do that."]_

_["Makes sense. OK with me, Sari."]_

They walked over to the train station. Agent Fowler had given them Indian currency. Sari walked up to the ticket counter.

"_Two round-trip tickets, sir, to Diva Junction, please."_

_["What are you doing?]_

_["I'm getting us round trip tickets so we can ride through the tunnel. I want to see if we can detect the relic from the train. You don't think two females can just go waltzing through the tunnel, do you?"]_

_["Oh, right. Never mind."]_

They boarded the crowded train. Some gentlemen offered Sari and Miko seats. Sari smiled. _"Oh, thank you, sir!"_

_["Miko! Smile and nod!"]_ Sari corrected Miko on the proper protocol. She turned and apologized to the men. _"Sorry, sirs. Exchange student."_ They chuckled. _"No worries, miss."_

_["What'd you tell them?"]_

_["I just apologized, told them you were a foreign exchange student."]_ Sari smiled. Miko rolled her eyes.

_["OK Miko. Here comes the tunnel. If we do detect the relic, it will probably be just a quick blip."]_ And Sari cautiously opened her briefcase and kept an eye on the relic sensor. Nothing showed, until somewhere in the middle, there was a quick, faint jump.

She closed her briefcase. _["It's here, somewhere in the middle. The jump was faint. We'll check again on the return trip to see if the signal is stronger, which means it's inside the opposite wall."]_

_["Uh, Sari, while you were studying that Cybertron device, you were attracting some attention from the locals."]_ Miko whispered.

Sari looked up to see some curious glances from people on the train. She came up with a quick ruse. _"New exchange student from Japan. I have to approve her emails home before the school can send them."_ The passengers nodded and smiled.

Sari turned, and nodded to Miko, pointing to her briefcase and feigning approval. _["I told them I was vetting your emails. Nod and smile thanks to me."]_ Miko went along with the ruse, smiling. _["Oh, THANK you, headmistress!"]_

They arrived in Diva Junction. _["So what now, headmistress?"]_ asked Miko, jokingly.

_["Let's get off the station and walk around. Care for some breakfast?"]_

_["Breakfast?! I just had dinner an hour ago! Sheesh!]_

_["Alright, never mind. Let's get some chai."]_ And they began walking to a nearby tea shop. Next to the station, Sari noticed a big advertisement.

_["Miko! You're not going to believe this! They're offering a tour of the tunnel tonight!"]_

Miko yawned. _["Tonight? I don't' think I can last that long."]_

_["Alright, let's go sign up for the tour, then ground bridge back to the base so you can take a nap. We'll come back tonight in time for the tour."]_ And Sari walked back to the station and inquired about the tour. She purchased two tickets, and she and Miko then headed for the tea shop for some chai.

Relaxing in the tea shop, Sari asked Miko, _["So, what do you think of India?"]_

_["Too many people! That train was crowded!"]_

Sari laughed. _["Too many…? Hey, I thought your home country is supposed to be crowded, too! Don't you have people whose job it is to shove passengers into trains? You've been in Nevada too long, girl!"]_

They finished their chai and went back to the train station to board the ride back. As on the ride to Diva Junction, two gentlemen offered them seats. This time, Miko smiled and said _"thank you"_ – Sari had taught her the Hindi words.

_["Miko, I'm going to try to use Processor-Over-Matter to sense the Iacon relic."]_

_["Processor-wha…?"]_

_["It's a Cyber-Ninja technique. Since the relic is on this wall, I should be able to detect it on my own without having to use the relic sensor."]_

_["Whatever you say, headmistress."]_ And as the train neared the tunnel, Sari closed her eyes and went into meditation. She spread her Cyber-Ninja sense out of the train into the tunnel wall. She could "see" deep into the rock as the train passed by. Suddenly, the relic came into view; she knew exactly where it was! Opening her eyes, she turned to Miko.

_["I found it! It's about 5 meters inside the rock! We just passed by it!"]_

_["Cool! Let's ground bridge back and tell everyone!"]_ And arriving back in Mumbra, Sari got on her comm and told Ratchet that their recon mission was over. They managed to find a spot where they could get back to base, and returned.

"So, what did you learn?" asked Arcee.

"I found the location of the Iacon relic," said Sari. "It's 5 meters inside the western wall of the tunnel, halfway through."

"Then we go after the last train leaves the tunnel," said Arcee.

"Except there's one problem. There's a tour of the tunnel tonight. A couple dozen people have signed up. A charter train will be leaving from the Diva Junction station at 12:30am and bring the passengers to the entrance of the tunnel." She pulled out the brochure. "It will then proceed slowly through the tunnel as a tour guide explains the history of its construction. Passengers will then proceed to the Mumbra station, where it will cross over the tracks and return to Diva Junction. Tour ends at 2:00am."

"That only gives us two hours to retrieve the relic," said Arcee. "But you know where it is, Sari. Ratchet, can you ground bridge us in to the middle of the tunnel?"

"Not a problem."

"What about going back to take the tunnel tour?" asked Miko.

"That shouldn't be necessary, now that we're arriving after the tour of the tunnel is over," said Arcee."

"Well, there might still be some value in my riding the train," said Sari.

"Why do you say that?" Arcee asked.

"I can be there to protect the humans, should the Decepticons happen to show up while they are in the tunnel."

**["Good idea! She can alert us, and if needed, we can come quickly to help."]**

"And I can help guide them out of the train," said Miko.

Arcee shut tight her optics, pinched her nose guard and sighed. "Somehow, I knew you'd be wanting to go back, Miko – why should I even bother to argue."

She then gave the final orders. "Alright, it's late. Rest up, everyone. Meet back here at 10:30am so we can prepare to ground bridge Sari – and Miko – to the Diva Junction station. Bumblebee and I will follow and plan to arrive in the tunnel after the train has returned to Diva Junction, or sooner if Sari calls us."

* * *

The next morning, Sari and Miko got ready to head back to Mumbai. They took the ground bridge, this time to Diva Junction, and arrived a little after midnight to get in line for the tour.

_["Looks like about 24 people, mostly students. Good, we should blend in well."]_ said Sari. _["And the train won't be crowded, Miko"]_ she winked.

_["OK, OK. You were right about Japan. It's crowded there too."]_

They boarded the special train, and the tour guide began his talk. _"The Parsik Tunnel was the very first tunnel dug for the railway line in India. It is approximately 1.6 kilometers in length. For the longest time, it boasted to be the longest tunnel on Indian railways."_

_["This is boring! I have no idea what he's saying"]_

_["He's giving a history of the tunnel. Sorry you don't speak Hindi. Just be patient"]_

_["Patient?! You don't know me very well."]_

"…_excellence of Civil Engineering at that time, since it was dug from both sides at a time and there was no error in marking out the route for drillers."_

The train arrived at the entrance, and the engineer slowed to give the passengers a chance to see the tunnel walls.

About a third of the way through, the train suddenly stopped. Yelling was heard from the front.

_["What's going on?"]_ asked Miko.

_["They're yelling about white flashes up ahead in the tunnel."]_

Passengers started asking what was going on. The tour guide tried to calm them. _"It's alright, probably some construction workers."_

Then, there was a bright flash and an explosion. The engineer and some men started running to the back of the train. Panicked, people began screaming and running for the rear exit.

_["He said there's a giant robot up ahead firing at the train!"]_

_["Decepticons!"]_

With a blue flash, Sari transformed into "bot" mode and rushed toward the front of the train.

"Miko! Now's your chance! Help the people get to safety!"

"I don't speak Hindi!"

"Forget the cover! Speak English!"

Sari got on her comm. "Arcee! Emergency! Decepticons in Parsik Tunnel! I am going to engage!"

"Acknowledged, Sari. Where is Miko?"

"She is helping the humans leave."

"We are on our way. Ground bridging to your location."

Vehicons were firing at the train. Sari jumped out of the front door and dodged the blasts. She rolled to the side and looking at the first Decepticon, fired an orb at his Spark chamber, putting him out of commission. Other Vehicons, seeing the orbs coming at them, began blasting in that direction. Sari jumped up and down around the walls of the tunnel to dodge the blasts, coming closer and closer to where they were standing. Finally reaching the lead bot, she jumped up and spiraling around, delivered a hard strike with her right pede to the Vehicon's faceplate, shattering it. Grabbing one of his wings, she swung around and using crystalocution, found a fracture point on his neck and struck it with her pede, kicking his head off. It bounced off of the tunnel wall and rolled onto the tracks below.

She continued using the wall of the tunnel to her advantage, kicking off it and hurling herself into the Vehicons, twisting and striking with pedes and fists so fast they had no way of reacting in time. She used the confined space of the tunnel to her advantage in this way. Vehicon heads, arms and legs flew around until there was nothing left but a pile of scrap metal.

Sari and Bumblebee arrived in the tunnel.

"I've got the Vehicons! Get the relic!" yelled Sari. And they ran towards the center of the tunnel where Knockout was drilling into the wall.

"Autobots?" said Knockout. "Vehicons! Attack…What…?" He looked and saw nothing but a pile of bot parts.

Arcee and Bumblebee aimed their weapons at Knockout. "Hand over the relic!"

Knockout laughed. "Oh, this relic? He held it in his servo. Sorry, you're late, once again…" but suddenly a small bot zoomed past him with her plasma thrusters and grabbed it out of his servo. "Thanks!" she yelled, and sped down the tunnel.

"What the…?" And transforming into his alt mode, he took off after Sari.

Arcee and Bumblebee transformed and sped after Knockout. Arcee got on her comm. "Sari! Whatever you do, don't take off into the sky! The Decepticons will abduct you and the relic!"

Knockout sped out the north entrance of the tunnel. "Where are you, you little bug?" and continued off on the tracks toward Mumbra. Arcee came towards the entrance. "Sari! Where are you?"

"I'm right here," she said, "hiding near the entrance to the tunnel, watching Knockout heading north looking for me."

Arcee and Bumblebee stopped at the entrance, and Sari came out from behind a bush holding the relic. Arcee laughed. "You stopped here, and he kept going, eh? Smart!"

"I watched lots of cartoons when I was a kid," she smiled.

_**["Let's get back in before he figures out you're not ahead of him."]**_

Sari gave the Iacon relic to Arcee. "You get the relic back to base. I'll go find Miko and we'll ground bridge later."

* * *

"It's OK, it's OK, it was some Japanese robots that got out of control!" said Miko, trying to calm down the crowd.

"So, it was your scientists!" said one of the students.

"Well, I dunno, maybe, uh, maybe some Indian scientists too," she said. "Oh geez," she thought.

"_I'm sure the authorities will be able to get this all straightened out,"_ said a voice from behind. The crowd looked behind to see Sari.

"OK, I've, uh, gotta go with my headmistress, now," said Miko, and ran to Sari.

"So, uh, everything good?"

"Yep, we're good. Let's go home." And walking to a remote area, Sari got on her comm to Ratchet. "Hey Ratchet, two to ground bridge back."

"Ready when you are, Sari." And a ground bridge opened up for them as they left the site.

What Sari and Miko didn't notice, however, was a lone figure hiding in the dark. He took out an advanced comm device. "Yes, sir. I was on the train. I think you will want to hear about this."

**So, mission accomplished! And Sari was a valuable contribution to Team Prime. I wonder what kind of report Knockout's going to give Megatron regarding this "small bug" that thwarted his effort to retrieve the Iacon relic? **

**But who was that person watching them leave?**

**Thanks for reading. Please review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**After their mission, Sari is relaxing with the teens at Autobot base.**

Sari and Miko were sitting in Outpost Omega One, watching a Japanese performance on TV, when Bumblebee walked by.

_**["What are you two watching?"]**_

"It's a performance by Hatsune Miku," said Sari. Curious, Bumblebee started watching along.

_**["Is this one of those Anime cartoons?"]**_ Then, the camera panned to the musicians.

_["__**Hey, wait a minute! Are those musicians real?!"]**_

"The musicians and the audience are real," said Sari. Hatsune is not, she's an animated character – what her developers refer to as a 'humanoid persona'. Hatsune performs on stage as full-size 3D hologram. I really enjoy seeing what the Japanese engineers and musicians have done here. Plus, it's really good performance art!"

Jack and Raf come by to watch. "Hey, I know her! She's that singing Japanese cartoon chick." said Jack.

Offended, Miko scoffed. "Did you just say 'chick', Jack? I'm telling your mom!"

"The technology to pull off that 3D hologram on a live stage is pretty slick," said Raf. "They have to keep her computerized dancing and lip movements in sync with the singing and the musicians."

"What's she singing, anyway?" asked Jack. "I assume it's Japanese?"

"Very good, Jack!" said Miko, half-mockingly.

"Right now, it's a song called 'Fire Flower'," said Sari, and started singing along with Hatsune.

_**["Catchy tune"]**_

"You have a nice voice, Sari," said Raf.

"Thanks!"

Jack crossed his arms. "So, those people paid tickets to watch a cartoon sing songs." He deadpanned.

"Way to kill the magic, Jack," said Miko. Sari just smiled at her friends' banter, and throwing her arms around in sync with the music, continued singing along with Hatsune.

* * *

The Indian agent walked into the conference room and sat at the large mahogany table. Before him, suspended from the ceiling, were eleven large monitors. The center monitor was the largest, and showed a logo of the planet Earth with a gear border. At the bottom of the monitor was a single word: "MECH". The other monitors were blank. As soon he pulled the chair up to the table, the other monitors flickered, and an avatar displayed, with the words "Sound Only" underneath. The agent knew that he was seated before the MECH Board of Directors.

"Your name, agent?" said one of the directors.

"Vikram Ramanna, sir."

"And your position in MECH, Mr. Ramanna?"

"I am a scientist embedded by MECH at the University of Mumbai."

"So, what did you see that would be of interest to MECH, Mr. Ramanna?"

"I was on the Parsik Tunnel tour train, as instructed by my MECH superiors. They had received Intel that there would be some Autobot or Decepticon activity that evening, and I was to observe what might happen. As expected, there was activity in the tunnel. The train was attacked. The passengers and train employees fled. I remained behind, with the intention of observing. Inside the tunnel there is a side cavern carved out for repair crews, and…"

"Your point, Mr. Ramanna?"

"Sorry, sir. As expected, there were robots in the tunnel. But what was unexpected was the fact that there was activity in the train itself. A human passenger did not flee, but got up and in a flash of blue, transformed into one of the robots. It then jumped off the front of the train and engaged with the ones firing at the train, defeating them! This despite its smaller size! After demolishing 12 of the large robots, it then took flight, firing up jets from its feet and hands, and jetted away into the tunnel. I lost sight of the small robot from that point."

"So, you say that this robot was in the form of a human, which transformed into a robot?"

"Yes sir. It was in human form, an Indian woman, which then became a robot."

"And after taking flight, you lost sight of it?"

"Yes, but later on, it came back."

"And then what happened after it came back?"

"I watched it transform back into human form, the same Indian woman. I then followed it back to Diva Junction, where I saw it meet up with a Japanese girl. The two then walked to an open field, where a round void opened up. They walked into the void, which enveloped them and vanished."

"Was there anything else, in Diva Junction, Mr. Ramanna?"

"No, sir. I checked the area where they vanished, but there was no trace."

"And what about the robots in the tunnel?"

"After those two disappeared, the authorities arrived at the scene, and entered the tunnel. As had been pre-arranged, I met up with a MECH agent attached to the governmental agency investigating the incident. He told me there was no trace left of any robots in the tunnel. With the exception of damage to the tracks and the tunnel, everything appeared to have been carried away."

The center monitor flickered and went through several screen shots of police reports and photographs taken of the scene inside the tunnel. It showed the damaged train tracks, cables ripped from the tunnel walls and broken interior lights, but no remains of Autobot or Decepticon activity.

"This Indian woman, would you recognize her if you saw her again?"

"Oh, most assuredly, sir! She had a most distinctive feature."

"And what was that?"

"Her eyes. Very unusual. They were bright blue, like the sky, instead of brown."

"And the Japanese girl?"

"Nothing particularly unusual about her. Her black hair was highlighted with pink and purple, but many teenagers do that these days. She did have lotus flower-type pony tails on the sides, but again, not that unusual. Of course, were I to see her again, I would recognize her."

"Thank you, Mr. Ramanna, that will be all for now. We will call you again if needed"

"Yes sir," replied the agent. He got up from the chair, and walked out of the conference room.

* * *

Isaac and Bulkhead were working on the Sumdac Tower space bridge, trying to understand precisely how Sari's trans-dimensional transport occurred, and hoped to discern where she went.

"I too examined the logs," said Isaac. "There don't appear to be any clues. Her transport records just simply end, with no indication as to where she went."

"That's what's so frustratin'," said Bulkhead. "And I took that space bridge apart piece by piece. I couldn't find anything!"

"There must be something, somewhere." Isaac slumped down in his chair, rubbing his temples. "Wait a minute!" He shot up. "Bulkhead! What about the transwarp capacitor?"

Bulkhead gasped. "The capacitor! Professor! The transwarp capacitor should still be storing the quantum-string vibrational level!"

"And if we can pull that data out, it ought to be able to tell us which dimensional realm she got sent to!" Isaac got excited, pacing the room.

Bulkhead banged his servo to his chin. "Oh, no! But I just put the space bridge back together! Sentinel Prime's gonna use it to send his construction bots to Mars!"

"No! No!" Isaac yelled. "If anyone uses the space bridge just one more time, the capacitor will lose that location! We've got to stop them!"

Professor Sumdac and Bulkhead hurried and summoned Optimus with their finding, and after meeting with the crew at Autobot Central, an urgent call was made to Cybertron.

"What is it this time, Optimus?" complained Sentinel Prime, "I've put off my crew long enough."

"We need to pull urgent data from that space bridge before anyone uses it," explained Optimus. "Until then, no one must transport into it."

"What?! You've got to be kidding me! This is ridiculous! No, I'm not going to make my crew wait any longer. They transport to Mars tomorrow – no exceptions!"

"But…" said Optimus.

"No buts!" and Sentinel shut off the transmission. Optimus slumped back in his chair.

"Optimus, we can't let him use that space bridge!" said Bulkhead. "If it's used, we'll lose the location where Sari got sent!"

"We take the Ark-32 to Mars immediately," said Optimus.

"But can you get there before Sentinel Prime?" asked Isaac.

"Barely, I'm afraid. It's likely we'll arrive at the same time his crew arrives. If there was only a way we could buy some time…"

"Perhaps I can be of assistance," came a voice from the doorway. Everyone turned around to see Arcee with another bot, from the crew of the Mirror Manifold II science vessel.

"Sedan?" said Ratchet. "What did you have in mind?"

"I am a certified Cybertronian Logistics Engineer," he replied. "Arcee came and told me about your dilemma. If I can get assigned to oversee their construction contracts, I would then have the authority to step in and demand a full audit of their forms. I bet I could find some document they neglected to complete, or some fields improperly filled, but even if I don't, the time it would take for me to do full scale reviews would buy you some time - at least a solar cycle."

"But would you be able to withstand Sentinel Prime's yelling while you are looking over the forms?" asked Optimus.

The bland bot shrugged his shoulders. "I'm a professional bureaucrat, Optimus. I'm used to having command bots screaming at me while I go about my work."

"Hey! I've got a friend at the Logistics offices in the Metroplex," said Ratchet. "He owes me a favor. I bet I can get Sedan put in charge of Sentinel Prime's Mars contract."

"Sedan, that would be terrific!" said Optimus. "Ratchet, make it so! You and Sedan head up to Cybertron immediately."

"Glad to help," said Sedan. And he and Ratchet went with Isaac to the top of Sumdac Tower to arrange the transport.

"Thanks, Arcee," said Optimus. "Great idea, pulling Sedan in."

Arcee smiled. "Hey, when you need to slow things down, enlist the help of a professional," she winked.

"Alright. Bulkhead, Arcee, let's board the Ark-32 and get to Mars as fast as we can."

* * *

"Alright, let's get a move on!" said Sentinel Prime, "we're already behind schedule, and..."

"Excuse me, Sentinel Prime?"

"Who wants to know?" He turned around.

"I am Sedan, from the Metroplex Office of Logistics. It appears the documentation for your construction project was never put in for a complete audit and did not receive official approval from Cybertron Command."

"Cybertron wha…? What do I care? We are about to begin our work!"

"I am sorry, Sentinel, but until I have completed my audit and issued my certification, I'm afraid your project cannot be allowed to proceed. May I see your documentation, please?"

"My docu…? What…? This is preposterous! Who put you up to this?!"

"This is simple Cybertronian governmental procedure, Sentinel Prime, as spelled out in Codex XMB389.13459x-3, subparagraph 9, line 234: 'All extra-planetary construction projects must undergo a full documentary audit and be approved prior to undertaking said construction tasks by said appointed Cybertronian Logistics Engineer'. That would be yours truly."

Sentinel Prime ground his mandible. "I see. And just how long is this going to take?"

"That will depend entirely on how thoroughly and accurately your forms have been completed. I can assure you, my audit will be thorough. Your forms, please."

* * *

"Prime! Sedan's been appointed overseer of Sentinel's contract!" Said Ratchet over the Arc-32 comm. "You've got – hopefully, a solar cycle's lead before his bots get to Mars."

"Roger, Ratchet! Thanks!" And he, Arcee and Bulkhead sped on their way to the red planet, hoping to extract the data from the space bridge.

They landed at the site, and Bulkhead went over with his tools. "Alright, Bulkhead, it's up to you. Let's hope you can pull that data from the space bridge."

"You and me both, Boss Bot!" And he started taking apart the space bridge console, so he could access the transwarp capacitor.

"OK, little guy, let's see what 'cha got," and hooking up his diagnostic equipment, he said, "please, please, let this work!" He watched his monitor, looking for a sign that the last quantum-string vibrational level could tell him where Sari was sent.

Optimus and Arcee stood nearby, waiting for a sign. "If he doesn't get anything out of that component, does this mean we won't get her back?" Arcee asked Optimus.

"I, I don't know, Arcee." He replied. "I don't know."

* * *

"General Levichev, you heard the testimony from Agent Ramanna. What is your opinion?" asked a member of the MECH Board.

A figure came out from the back of the MECH conference room. General Levichev was tall, lean, with an unemotional face.

"I heard. This woman, or apparent woman, would not have been associated with the Decepticons."

"And what makes you say that?"

"Because the Autobots would not have attacked that train. Were the Autobots the ones in the tunnel and they were discovered by the humans on the train, they would have fled."

"This…alien that attacked the robots in the tunnel is either associated with the Autobots or is from some third group, possibly in alliance with the Autobots."

"And what about the Japanese girl?"

Levichev lit a cigarette. "Is there not a Japanese teen in Jasper, Nevada who associates with the Autobots?"

"But this occurred in India, and this human-like robot was in the form of an Indian woman."

"Agent Ramanna mentioned the void. The Autobots and Decepticons have teleportation capabilities. This…'woman' with the blue eyes should not be that hard to find. I propose you let me begin a search in Jasper. And if at first we don't find her, I'll get the Japanese girl, as bait – the human-sized robot shouldn't be too far behind."

"Very well, General. Keep us updated on your progress. MECH will achieve greatness."

"This little robot will be very useful to us. She defeated 12 Decepticons? And can fly? Remarkable." He put out his cigarette and left the conference room.

* * *

"YES! YES! I GOT IT! WOO HOO!" yelled Bulkhead.

"You found the data?" asked Optimus, excited.

"Yep! I know where she went!"

"But, how do we get her back?" asked Arcee.

"Well, knowing where she went's only half the job," explained Bulkhead. "Me and the Professor can get the space bridge on Sumdac Tower to get to where she's at, but where she's at has to grab our signal and do a handshake. It's like usin' a space bridge here; you gotta know the coordinates of where you're goin'. Otherwise, we could space bridge over to that universe, but there's no tellin' where you'd wind up."

"Sari told Jazz that there's a human at her side that's very skilled. Hopefully he, or she, can grab our signal and do the handshake," said Arcee.

"Let us hope so," Optimus responded.

* * *

"_Sari"_

"_Sensei"_

"_How did your mission go?"_

"_It went well, Sensei. We succeeded."_

"_Very good, Sari. I also have good news. Bulkhead and your father have found the location where you were sent."_

"_Sensei, that is wonderful!"_

"_However, we need to have your end be able to communicate with the space bridge at our end. Your father proposes that he send an inanimate object at a specific time, and see if your bridge specialists can grab it."_

"_Understood. I will let them know."_

"_Speak to your team and set up a time to test, then we shall communicate again this time tomorrow to synchronize."_

* * *

Ratchet and Raf were at the ground bridge, while Sari was nearby, in Lotus position. The rest of Team Prime, including Jack, June, Miko, and Agent Fowler, were in observance.

"Alright, Sari," said Ratchet, Raf and I have retooled the ground bridge and I've also made sure the dampeners won't cause the ground bridge to overheat. "We're ready at this end."

"_Sensei, they are ready to grab the item."_

* * *

"Professor, Bulkhead, Sari said they are ready," said Jazz. At the top of Sumdac tower, Arcee and Bumblebee watched. They had chosen as a test object a sturdy portable comm unit. Bumblebee held it, ready to throw it into the space bridge orb.

Isaac powered up the space bridge with the coordinates that Bulkhead had retrieved from the Mars space bridge. A blue-yellow orb formed.

"Throw it in, Bumblebee," said Isaac, and he threw it in.

* * *

"I'm detecting an object," said Raf.

"Grab it and pull it down," said Ratchet, watching the console carefully, making sure it didn't spark or overheat. The tunnel lit up with green, blue and yellow rings.

"It's got it!" said Raf. "Here it comes!" A puff of blue smoke, and out flew the comm unit, landing on the floor!

"What is it?" Asked Jack.

Agent Fowler went and picked it up. "It appears to be a communications device."

"Sari, let Jazz know we received a comm device," said Optimus.

_"Sensei, the comm device arrived."_

_"Excellent, Sari! I will let everyone here know. See if you can use it."_

"Jazz said to try and use it," Sari told the group.

"Really?" Said Raf. He retrieved it from Agent Fowler and turned it on. "Hello? This is Raf; can you hear me?"

There was some static, then after a few seconds, came a voice. "Hello Raf, this is Professor Isaac Sumdac."

"That's my Dad!" Yelled Sari, and getting up she rushed to Raf. He handed her the mike. "Daddy, this is Sari!" She said, tears in her eyes.

"Oh, my Sari, how good it is to hear your voice again – I was so worried about you!"

All the Autobots were awed by this moment. Arcee smiled and crossing her arms, put her servo to the side of her face. "This is so wonderful!" she thought.

"Incredible!" said Ratchet. "A communication from one dimension to another!"

June, tears in her eyes, put her hands over her mouth. Raf smiled and wiped his eyes. Even Miko shed tears. Agent Fowler took out a handkerchief, turned, and blew his nose. Jack's eyes were wide open, blinking. Miko bumped him. "It's OK, Jack, you're human, you know."

"Huh? What, I'm, I'm OK," he stammered, and looked away.

"Uh huh, yeah sure," Miko replied.

**A link has been established between the two dimensions! They should be able to establish a bridge that will allow Sari to return! But MECH has become aware of her and is developing plans in Jasper. What might happen? We'll see! Thanks for reading.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry for the long delay in getting this next chapter out; I was hospitalized briefly, but now I can go back to the stories. :-)**

**In case you were wondering what happened with Knockout after he lost the relic in the tunnel, here it is! Needless to say, Megatron was not too happy.**

"Knockout, I grow increasingly tired of your failures," said Megatron, as he stood over the cowering Decepticon medic. "Once again, you have failed to retrieve an Iacon relic. I send you off with a platoon of Starscream's better-trained Vehicons, and you return to me not only empty handed, but without a platoon!"

"Perhaps you would care to explain to me the cause of this disastrous mission?" His red eyes glared at Knockout, while Starscream stood beside his master, enjoying every minute of this delicious dress down.

"My lord, I can assure you, I had extracted the relic from the tunnel wall. I had it in my servo!"

"Then, you are telling me you lost it?!"

"No! No! Of course not. It was…ripped out of my digits by some flying bot I'd never seen before, flying at an enormous rate of speed!"

"A flying bot? In that tiny tunnel?" Scoffed Starscream. "What kind of fools do you take us for? No bot flying in alt mode could fit in there! My lord Megatron, this is ridiculous."

"No! It's true," retorted Knockout. "A flying bot, only not in alt mode; it flew from jets out of its pedes and servos. But this was not a normal size bot. It was smaller, much smaller. I'd say, human-sized."

"A human-size bot?! There is no such thing!" said Starscream.

"Well, this one was! I saw it with my own optics! After it snatched the relic out of my servo it took off on its way out of the tunnel. I transformed and sped after it. But it got away from me."

"And what of your Vehicons?" asked Megatron angrily.

"They were all destroyed, my lord. Broken up, into dozens of small parts."

"By whom?" demanded Megatron.

"Not by the Autobots. Their ground bridge appeared, but they showed up too late for the destruction of the Vehicons. By this small bot, I assume."

"By the small…? Ridiculous! How in the world could a human-sized bot take on and destroy twelve of my better-trained Vehicons?" Jeered Starscream. "You speak nonsense!"

"Well thank you for your very valuable post-mortem analysis, Starscream!" yelled Knockout. "You weren't there!"

"Silence!" Said Megatron, ending the argument. "Starscream, the Vehicon parts were recovered. Try to determine in what manner they were attacked, and how they were destroyed. It may indeed prove Knockout's theory. If true, then we have a new enemy in our midst.

Annoyed by this seeming measly task, yet acquiescing to his master, Starscream bowed, "Very well, my lord."

"Knockout – you will assist Starscream in this analysis, and give me your medical opinion on how the Vehicons were killed. Is that clear?"

"Yes, my lord," replied the medical bot. Starscream stole a sideways glance and smirk at Knockout, pleased to hear that the medical bot will be reporting to him.

"When you are done, Starscream, find a way of – inviting – this little bot to the Nemesis. I would very much like to meet it."

Starscream looked up at Megatron and smiled. "Very good, master. I shall arrange an audience."

* * *

Team Prime assembled around Optimus as he opened the relic container that Sari had retrieved. All were anxious to learn which one it was, and what its capabilities were.

Optimus examined it. "This class-A weapon was designed by Solus Prime to render its wearer invisible."

"Is it one of the thirteen?" asked Ratchet.

"No, this was one of her earlier creations," he explained. "Nevertheless, it's quite effective in its own right.

"It almost looks like the Phase Shifter," said Smokescreen.

"It works in a similar way," said Optimus. "When I was Orion Pax working at the Iacon Vaults, I remember reading how Solus Prime designed this relic to manipulate photons around its wearer. Here, try it." And he handed the relic to Smokescreen.

Smoke put it on his arm and turned the dial. At first, his image wavered, then, only his outline was visible, until finally he disappeared entirely.

"Fascinating," said Arcee. She reached over to where Smokescreen was standing and touched his chassis. "So I can feel you, even though I can't see you. Would be interesting if you wore both this and the phase shifter."

"Heh! Then I'd really be undetectable!" Smoke responded. He turned the dial back and reappeared.

"Quite a useful tool," said Ratchet. "Glad you managed to snatch it out of Knockout's servo, Sari!"

"My pleasure!" she smiled.

* * *

Frustrated and bored, Miko sat outside on the front steps of Memorial High School. "Where is he?" She wondered. She walked around on the sidewalk and got on her phone. "Hey Bulkhead, I've been waiting here forever! What's your 20?"

"Sorry, Miko. I'm stuck in a traffic jam."

"A traffic jam? In Jasper?"

"Yeah, lots of cars on the road, for some reason. I'll get there as soon as I can."

"OK," she sighed, and walking back to the school entrance, she plopped back down on the steps. Just then, a van pulled up, and two men in black suits and sunglasses got out. Looking around to make sure there were no witnesses, they walked up to her.

"Miko Nakadai?"

"Who wants to know?"

One of the men took out a neural tranquilizer and shot her in the chest. She collapsed in front of them. They picked her up and quickly took off with her in the van.

A half hour later, Bulkhead finally arrived. "OK Miko, I'm here. Miko? Miko?"

* * *

At the Autobot's base, Ratchet received a frantic call from Bulkhead.

"Ratchet! I can't find Miko!"

"Bulkhead? What do you mean?" replied the old bot from the ground bridge console.

"I got to school to pick her up after detention. I was late because of a traffic jam. By the time I got here, she was nowhere to be found!"

Jack overheard the conversation and walked up. "Ratchet? What's wrong?" he asked.

"Bulkhead was supposed to pick Miko up after she got out of detention, but by the time he got there, she was missing."

Jack got on his phone and tried calling her, but got her voice mail. "Miko, this is Jack. Bulkhead was going to pick you up, but you weren't there. Where are you? Please call back." He then hung up.

"Bulkhead, come back to base," said Ratchet. "We'll try to figure this out."

Just then, Jack's phone rang. It was from Miko! He answered. "Miko! Where are…?"

It wasn't Miko that was on the other line, however. Instead, it was a man with a slight Russian accent.

"Hello, Jack. I'm afraid Miko cannot respond to your call right now. Rest assured, she is in no danger at the moment."

"What? Who is this?" Jack motioned to Ratchet to patch his phone call to the base's speakers.

"My name is General Levichev. I must say, it was quite an undertaking, arranging that traffic jam in a small town like Jasper. A success nonetheless. But we're not here to talk about traffic. I understand that Miko recently went on a little adventure in India."

Jack was shocked that he knew of the recent mission! "India? What are you talking about?!" By now all of Team Prime was in the main area listening to the conversation.

"Let's not play games, Jack. I happen to know that Miko was riding the train from Mumbra to Diva Junction dressed as a local student, so please don't insult my intelligence."

"What do you want with her?" he demanded.

"Oh, it's not really Miko that I am interested in, Jack, as much as the companion that was with her. A remarkable being! Capable of transforming from human to robot, taking on so many Decepticons, and flying! Now, tell me Jack, was that little robot by any chance one of your Autobot friends?"

Jack's eyes opened wide. He turned and looked at Sari, who with the entire group was becoming extremely worried for Miko's safety. Everyone started wondering: who is this, and how did he know about the India trip? Raf was on his laptop, frantically trying to see if he could trace the location of the phone call.

Jack struggled to keep his cool. "What is it you want, Levichev?" he asked.

Levichev chuckled. "My boy, I would think that is obvious. I want an exchange. You hand over the human-sized Autobot, and Miko will be returned to you safe and sound."

Jack's jaw tightened "I want to talk to Miko!" he demanded.

"All in good time, Jack, all in good time. First, let's discuss my terms, shall we?"

"Fine," said Jack. "But before we discuss terms, I want to know with whom I am dealing. "

"My apologies, Jack. We are MECH."

June gasped, remembering the experience she and Jack had with MECH, and Airachnid. Sari exchanged glances with Optimus; she'd heard about MECH since arriving in this dimension, and gotten a briefing from Arcee, but this was her first experience with them.

* * *

Knockout, Starscream and Soundwave were listening in on the conversation between General Levichev and Jack.

"Excellent, Soundwave," said Starscream. "We let this MECH character do the work for us. Then, when that little bot makes its appearance, we swoop down and snatch it up."

"And you let me have a look at those plasma thrusters on its pedes and servos," said Knockout. "I'd like to have those for myself."

"You will do no such thing!" spat Starscream. "We deliver this little bot to Megatron. That is our mission. Only he decides what is done with it!"

"Alright, fine!" replied Knockout, rolling his eyes. "But I've got dibs on what's left!"

"Once the Autobots are ready to meet up with this Levichev character, Soundwave will dispatch Laserbeak to monitor all activities. When we are ready, we will bridge down and grab the bot."

"And just how do you plan to separate the little thing from MECH and the Autobots?" asked Knockout.

"With this," replied Starscream, holding up a Decepticon weapon in his arm.

Knockout laughed out loud. "With that?! Are you serious? What good will the polarity gauntlet do you in snatching a bot away from a group of bots?" he mocked. "You'll either push them all away or get them all stuck together!"

"Oh, you haven't heard our previous intercepts?" responded Starscream with a snicker.

"Previous intercepts?"

Starscream turned to Soundwave, who played back a previous conversation that Levichev had with the MECH board.

"_Just how do you propose transporting this being, General?"_

"_As part of the terms I negotiate with the Autobots, I will tell them that the bot must be brought to us in human form. If she shows up in robot form, the deal will be declared off and the Japanese girl will be killed. Once the being is in our custody, we will use our stasis cuffs to subdue her."_

"_So, you are saying, in human form, she will be much easier to control?"_

"_Precisely. As always, MECH will achieve greatness."_

"So you see, Knockout, the little bot will be in human form, and unaffected by my polarity gauntlet," smiled Starscream.

"I see," said Knockout, rubbing his chin and smirking. "And you are sure, Starscream, that this little bot will be unaffected by the polarity gauntlet while in human form?"

Starscream sputtered, "But, of course! Why wouldn't it? The gauntlet doesn't affect humans!"

**So it appears that Sari has more than one group after her, and the two are competing at the same time! Will the Autobots agree to MECH's terms in order to get Miko back safe and sound (so they say), and if so, will this exchange go as planned? Or will Laserbeak be watching an Autobot rescue attempt? We shall see!**

**Another question, for Starscream: could Knockout be right in questioning whether the polarity gauntlet affects Sari in "human" mode? ;-)**

**Please review!**


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